Dark Ninja
by exclamation
Summary: HunterDustin. Hunter and Blake use a book of dark ninja powers to kidnap Dustin. The rest of the Rangers must save Dustin from an ancient evil... and save Hunter from himself.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One **

Two figures walked across the ruins of what had been a ninja academy. One of them had his eyes down, scanning the ground for a sign of the place that had been a stronghold when the school still stood, a room carefully sealed so that none of the students could get in unless their sensei took them there. The other kept his eyes permanently fixed on his brother, a worried frown on his face.

"I really think we should talk to Sensei about this," said Blake. Hunter pushed aside some stones and dust with his foot, revealing a crack in the ground that might be the edge of a hidden trapdoor.

"He'd never allow it," Hunter answered. He cleared the rest of the crack, shoving a larger chunk of rock aside to find the corner and another crack.

"And he'd probably have a point. In the words of a wise old teacher, 'Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.'"

The quote didn't even raise a smile from Hunter. "Yoda was a Jedi. I'm a ninja. There's a subtle difference."

"Yeah, we can't lift space ships with our minds. The point still stands. We were shown these books so we'd recognise dark ninja powers, not so that we can use them."

"It's Dustin!" said Hunter, as though that ended all possible arguments. By now, he'd cleared the rest of the trapdoor and was feeling around the edges for the hidden trigger. He found it after a few moments and the slab of stone raised itself upwards to reveal a set of stairs. Hunter pulled a flashlight from his pocket and started down them.

Blake followed, but not without saying, "I still think this is a really bad idea."

The room they entered was small and dark, the walls lined with shelves, though most of them were empty. It was here that their teacher had hidden those items he thought too dangerous to let normal students near. Hunter and Blake had only been in this room twice in all their time at the school. Still, Hunter knew exactly what he was looking for and picked a heavy book off one of the shelves.

"It's not too late to back out," said Blake.

"I'm not asking you to get involved," Hunter responded.

"I'm your brother, you don't need to ask."

They left the room again, the other items undisturbed under their coating of dust. The brothers didn't know what many of them were and wished they didn't know about some of the others. It was only the book Hunter had wanted, a guide to many of the secrets of the dark ninja powers. Blake followed with a sense of dread about what his brother was about to do.

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Dustin woke up slowly, his head feeling foggy. It occurred to him that he was lying face down and that this wasn't the most comfortable of positions. He managed to conquer the prevailing tiredness enough to try and roll over.

He couldn't.

The fact managed to jar him slightly more awake, but there were still traces of sleepiness hanging to his sluggish thoughts. He tested out his movements and discovered that he was held down by straps across his legs and waist. There were more on his arms at his wrists and just below his shoulders. Another held his neck down, so he couldn't lift himself even slightly from the surface he was lying on.

Admittedly the surface was fairly soft, but that didn't stop the worries that someone had brought him here to torture him. He tried to remember how he'd got here, but there was no recollection of a battle. The last thing he could remember was meeting up at Hunter's for pizza and movie. They'd just started eating the pizza and then... blankness.

Was Hunter here somewhere? Had they both been zapped by some alien stun ray?

"Oh good, your awake," said a familiar voice. Dustin managed to shift his head slightly and he saw Hunter standing by the bed. Well, that answered one question.

"What's going on?" Dustin asked. He waited for his friend to start undoing the straps. Instead, Hunter crouched down in front of him, holding a cylinder of something in front of Dustin's mouth.

"Bite down on this," Hunter advised, "This is going to hurt like hell."

"What?" Dustin began to ask, but Hunter shoved the cylinder in his mouth. Dustin could have spat it out again, but he figure Hunter probably knew what he was doing.

Then the pain started. Dustin bit down so hard on the thing that he thought it might snap in half. It seemed like lines of fire were being drawn across his back. He grunted and pulled against the restraints. He wanted to yell out for this to stop, but if he opened his mouth he'd only be able to scream. Still the burning continued, fine lines that seared across his skin. He tugged uselessly at the straps, trying to get away, trying to get this to end.

It seemed an eternity. The fire white-hot on his back.

There were no real thoughts, just the awareness of his tortured back.

When at last new lines ceased to form, the pain and heat of the others lingered. Dustin sobbed slightly, exhausted from the agony.

"Sssh," Hunter murmured soothingly, a hand touching Dustin's head, brushing at the sweat-soaked strands of hair. "It's over now. It'll be OK."

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Blake watched from the corner of the room as Dustin struggled. He kept glancing at the clock, seeing the minutes tick by as Hunter ran the dagger over Dustin's back. Each stroke cut through the skin slightly, but there was no blood, the heat produced by the enchanted blade cauterising each of the wounds it caused, leaving only thin lines of red forming a dark symbol on Dustin's skin.

Blake wanted to look away. He wanted to leave. He wanted to run over there and snatch the dagger from Hunter's grip to end this madness.

Instead he watched.

He watched Dustin writhing in pain as the time went on. He wished Hunter would go a little quicker, just to get this over with. But he knew Hunter was trying desperately hard not to make a mistake.

At last, Hunter finished and set down the dagger, crouching by Dustin's head and trying to comfort him through what remained of the pain.

Blake turned and walked away so Hunter wouldn't have to see the tears in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Hunter hadn't slept all night, and not just because Dustin was currently lying on his bed. He'd stayed by Dustin's side, trying to sooth the other boy as he slipped into feverish dreams. Blake watched them this morning. Dustin was asleep, murmuring and muttering as he struggled through the spell. Hunter still knelt beside him with cold water and ice to try and cool Dustin's skin. He'd released the straps that had held Dustin down and lain Dustin on his side so he could pour water into his throat to replace  
that which was lost as sweat.

On Dustin's back, the angry red lines of the dark ninja sign were clearly visible, an accusation that Blake had played his part in this torture of their friend.

"I'm going to work," Blake said. He was grateful of this excuse to get away from the house. He wasn't sure he could cope with seeing Dustin like this for long. "Don't forget, we've got training at Ninjops this afternoon."

"I'm not going to leave Dustin."

"The others will know he's missing soon. If you're not there, they'll get suspicious. It'll just be for a short while. Hunter, you've got to be there."

"OK," Hunter said reluctantly, not taking his eyes off Dustin.

Blake left the room, stepping across the line of symbols that Hunter had drawn on the floor around the edge of the bedroom. A shielding spell, to prevent anyone detecting Dustin's presence here. Blake knew exactly why Hunter had drawn them, which was why he hadn't said anything. Why he hadn't reminded Hunter that the older brother had sworn only to use the one spell  
from the dark ninja book.

Blake arrived at Storm Chargers and took a moment to calm himself. He had to walk in there looking perfectly normal. He couldn't give any sign of what was going on, or the others might find out before the spell was completed. Then all this would be for nothing.

He walked in through the door and gave Kelly a cheerful greeting.

"Blake, have you seen Dustin?" Kelly asked. Blake hoped his fear didn't show on his face.

"No, but it's still," he checked his watch, "two minutes early. You know Dustin; he'll be here in half an hour."

"He was supposed to get in early and help me with stock taking."

"Well, no offence to Dustin, but he's not exactly great at remembering that sort of thing." Blake wished he'd known about this. He told himself that it didn't make a difference. Kelly would have become worried soon anyway when Dustin didn't show. A few minutes wouldn't threaten the plan.

When Dustin didn't show up for the next hour, Kelly called him. Unsurprisingly, she got no answer. Blake tried to convince her that maybe he'd forgotten what day it was, or that there'd been a family emergency and he hadn't had a chance to call. But she was obviously concerned and nothing Blake would say was going to change that. He just had to hope that his worries about being found out would appear on his face as concern about Dustin.

Tori came into the shop, as she frequently did, and Kelly's first question was if she'd seen Dustin.

"He didn't come in to work," Blake explained, "and he's not answering his phone." Hopefully, him apparently wanting to find Dustin would allay suspicions.

"And I thought you and Hunter were the ones likely to disappear," Tori muttered. She went to check Dustin's house and to see if Shane or Cam knew anything. Blake had known this would happen. This reaction was fully expected, but he still couldn't quite stop the fear that they'd be found out.

In the afternoon, Blake headed to Ninjops. By now, everyone had heard that Dustin was missing. Blake pretended to join in the concerned speculation. He didn't think any of them thought that he was behind it.

Hunter walked in, looking pale and tired. Blake was just gratefully he'd shown up. No sense people getting worried about two missing Rangers.

"Are you alright?" Tori asked.

"I'm fine," Hunter answered curtly. But he was looking drawn and almost ill, as well as worried. No doubt he wanted to be back by Dustin's side as soon as possible.

"How many aspirin have you taken today?" Blake asked. If the others thought Hunter wasn't looking well, they might as well take advantage of it.

Hunter looked surprised for a moment, then he answered, "It's just a headache. I'm fine."

"If you are not well," said Sensei, "you should rest. You will recover quicker that way and be back at full strength when you are needed."

"Look, I'm OK," said Hunter, since that's what Hunter always would say. "I can cope."

"There could be something going round," said Cam, "If Dustin's ill, that would explain why he's not here."

"I check his house," Tori responded, "and got no answer."

"Maybe he was asleep," suggested Shane. "He could probably sleep through an apocalypse."

"Whatever is the matter with Dustin," said Sensei, "Hunter, you should return home and rest."

"I'll call you if we find anything," Blake said.

Hunter muttered a thanks and then left quickly. He'd be able to stay with Dustin now without any of the others thinking there was something strange about him as well. Plus, there was a potential theory for Dustin's disappearance that left no suspicion whatsoever with the Thunder Rangers.

"I think there's something more going on than an illness," said Cam, "I've been running a scan to try and locate Dustin's morpher, but I can't find it. It's like he's dropped off the face of the Earth."

So much for there being a theory.

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Dustin was standing somewhere dark and empty. He wasn't sure where exactly. There were no signs of walls or ceiling around him, just endless blackness. He called out for his friends but got no answer. He reached for his communicator, but his morpher was gone from his wrist.

He tried not to panic. He'd fought himself out of all kinds of terrible situations before, he could fight his way out of this one. He might not have a morpher, but that wasn't going to stop him kicking the ass of whoever or whatever was behind this. Besides, his friends were bound to be looking for him. Cam was certain to work out where he saw and then Shane and Tori would beat the crap out of anyone who stood in the way of getting him home.

"Your friends can't reach you here, ninja," said a voice. Dustin turned to see the speaker, wondering if somehow he had read his mind. The figure was clothed entirely in black and therefore almost invisible in the darkness. But Dustin could make out the fact he was dressed as a ninja. There was no academy logo, no colour to indicate an element, just the plain black.

That could just mean he'd graduated an academy. Not everyone continued to where their school's colours after they left. Or it could mean that this person had been expelled for some reason. Or it could mean they trained somewhere other than the ninja academies, perhaps somewhere that didn't follow the academy codes of using the ninja skills only to defend the innocent.

"Who are you?" Dustin asked "Where are we?" Thankfully, his voice didn't come out sounding scared. This guy might have stolen his ability to morph, but he still had all the ninja skills Sensei had taught him and he just had to hope that would be enough.

"I am Dagrimar, a dark ninja spirit and we are in your mind. But not for long. Soon this will be my mind, and you will be destroyed." Then the dark ninja leapt into the attack.

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Hunter sat on the edge of his bed, watching Dustin's body writhe as his mind fought a battle against the demonic spirit inside him. On his back, the cuts Hunter had made were burning again, so hot that they almost seemed to glow against the sweat-soaked back. Hunter wasn't sure if he should try to cool them down, to make this less painful for Dustin, or if he should let the cleansing fire burn hotter so that this would be over soon.

He knew he'd only done what was necessary, but as he clutched Dustin's hand he wished there was some way he could see inside the other boy's mind. He knew Dustin was strong, but Dagrimar was an ancient and malicious spirit. Hunter had no way to know how the battle was going or how much longer this would take. He'd only know when Dustin woke up and his friend would either be free of the spirit, or destroyed forever.

Hunter used a straw to dribble some lukewarm, thin soup into Dustin's mouth, which Dustin swallowed reflexively. This was going to be hard enough on his body without adding starvation to his problems. Hunter tried not to think about what would happen when Dustin needed to go to the bathroom. He could only hope and pray that this would be over before then.

Time passed and Dustin still moaned and struggled on the bed. The sheets were a tangled mess, soaked through with sweat. His hair was plastered down on his forehead. Hunter tried to whisper comforting words, holding Dustin's hand and stroking his hair. But there was no sign that Dustin heard him.

Hunter picked up the dark ninja book and skimmed through the pages of the heavy volume, reading the descriptions of the spells. With most, he turned to a new page before he'd even got half-way through reading what the spells could do, looking away with revulsion at the actions this book proposed. But still, he forced himself to go through the pages of forbidden magic.  
There had to be something in here that would help. He knew he'd promised Blake to only use the spell to bring out Dagrimar but he couldn't just sit here and do nothing while Dustin fought for his soul. There had to be some other spell in here that would help. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Blake locked the front door behind him as he let himself into the apartment he and Hunter shared. He'd used the excuse of wanting to check on his sick brother to get himself away. The others were all still frantically worrying about Dustin and Blake was scared he might accidentally let something slip. It hurt so much to be lying to his friends. When they'd broken free of Lothor's control, he'd promised himself he'd never lie to them again.

He went through to Hunter's bedroom and took in the sight of Dustin struggling in his sleep. Hunter was crouched beside the bed, drawing something on Dustin's forehead with his finger in a substance that looked far too much like blood. The book at dark ninja spells was open beside him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Blake demanded.

He crossed the room and snatched away the book. Hunter jumped at the sound of Blake's shout, his finger smearing the symbol he was drawing.

Blake looked at the page the book was open to.

"A mind reading spell?"

"I just want to see what's happening," Hunter said. He picked up a cloth and wrapped it around his finger. Blake quickly skim-read the details of the spell. The crimson substance had been blood; Hunter's blood. The spell required him to prick his finger to draw the symbol in his own life force.

"These are forbidden spells, Hunter. Forbidden. They're not called 'use if you really feel like it' spells."

"I can't do nothing."

"We've given Dustin a fighting chance. That's enough. It's up to him now."

Blake turned to walk from the bedroom, still holding the book.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm taking it back. We've done the spell we needed it for. Now I'm locking it away again." And Blake strode from the room. As he crossed the doorframe, his foot trod on the line of symbols drawn there, causing a tiny smudge. Once he was gone, the ink shifted itself as though it were alive, reforming the marks so that, moments later, all trace of the smudge had vanished.

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"I thought I had something for a moment there," said Cam. He was running various search programs on the central computer, trying to get a location on Dustin, his morpher or any energy readings that could give a reason for his disappearance.

"What sort of something?" Tori asked.

"A brief reading on Dustin's morpher. It didn't last long enough for me to get an exact location."

"Did you get any sort of location?" Shane was peering over Cam's shoulder, though he really stood no chance of understanding the graphs and numbers that were flowing across the screen. Cam pulled up a map.

"I think it was somewhere around here."

"That's near Blake and Hunter's place," said Tori.

"We'll check it out," said Shane, "Maybe they've found something."

"Wait a minute!" Cam said quickly, as a frantic beeping began to emanate from the computer. He typed in commands and brought up a different map. "I've just got a reading of dark ninja energy at the site of the Thunder Academy."

"Be careful, Rangers," Sensei warned them, "whatever this dark presence is, if it is behind the disappearance of Dustin then it is probably very powerful."

"You go to Hunter and Blake's," Shane told Tori, "see if you can find any sign of Dustin, but get Blake and Hunter if he's up for it to join me at the Thunder Academy."

"I'm coming with you," Cam said, typing in the commands to activate his cybernetic duplicate, "Dad's right, this thing is almost certainly dangerous."

Cyber Cam appeared and began a greeting of, "Yo, dudes, wassup," but the real Cam had already activated the teleportation system.

Cam and Shane appeared at the edge of the ruins of what had once been a mighty ninja school. Now there was just rubble and dust and, near a raised stone slab in the middle of the wreckage, a familiar figure. Blake stood, clutching a large object to his chest, staring at the new arrivals.

"Blake?" asked Shane, "I thought you were going home to check on Hunter."

"I was. um. I did. um. This isn't what it looks like."

"What does it look like?" asked Cam, walking across to him. The item Blake held was an ancient book, the front cover against his chest so he couldn't see the title. At his feet was a gaping hole where the slab had lain and a set of steps leading down to a hidden room.

"Don't go down there," Blake said, but Cam wasn't listening. He walked down the steps and into a store room lined with shelves. His eyes scanned over the objects that were shut away down here, recognising some of them from legends and stories. There was a weapon that supposedly killed by making the victim's blood boil in their veins. There was a stone that could trap souls. There were others that Cam didn't know the purpose of, but he knew that ninjas had been given the order to destroy them if they were ever found.

Cam felt almost sick that such a place could exist, much less beneath a ninja academy that supposedly trained the world's protectors. Blake and Shane had followed him down the stairs. Cam tried to suppress the feelings of rage and revulsion until he at least knew more, but he yanked the book out of Blake's arms and looked at the cover.

"Dark ninja spells?" Cam wished there was a way to explain this, but Blake had been accessing a room full of forbidden objects and holding the key to powers that had been banned centuries ago for very good reasons.

Shane had clearly reached the same conclusion as Cam, but he was less in control of his temper. He grabbed hold of Blake's t-shirt and slammed him hard into the wall.

"What the hell have you done with Dustin?" Shane demanded. Blake didn't answer. He didn't even meet their eyes, which filled Cam's heart with fear. If Dustin were safe, surely Blake would be saying something.

Blake had done some foul things under Lothor's influence. Cam still harboured some residual anger over the kidnap of his father, but he'd come to trust them despite that. He knew that what had happened before hadn't been their fault. But this was and that made the betrayal cut all the deeper.

Then Cam's communicator beeped and Tori's voice came through in a shaken whisper. "I've found Dustin."

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Tori had let herself into Blake and Hunter's apartment, using the spare key Blake and once told her was kept on the top of the doorframe. At first, it appeared that no one was home, which would explain why no one had answered her knock. She headed to Hunter's room, thinking that maybe he was asleep. She could at least check he was OK before continuing a search for Dustin.

She got a glimpse through the open doorway and then darted back, pressing against the wall and praying she'd only imagined what she'd just seen. She glanced round again, seeing Dustin on the bed, his back brutally cut. And there was Hunter, sitting beside him, doing nothing while Dustin writhed in pain.

Tori reached for her communicator. "I've found Dustin," she whispered.

"Where are you?" came Shane's voice. Clearly he hadn't noticed from her whispering that she was trying not to be overheard because his voice came through at a normal volume.

"Who's there?" Hunter demanded from inside the bedroom. Aw well, no sense trying to hide now. Tori stepped into view, taking up a fighting stance. Whatever was going on here, Dustin was clearly hurt and it didn't look like Hunter was going to help her get him to Ninjops.

Hunter's face paled with fear when he saw Tori. Then he uttered a strange word. Tori just had a moment to wonder what it meant, when a line of inky symbols across the doorway started to glow. A second later, and a wall of bright energy shot up from them. She stepped up to it, peering through this shield to see more symbols, forming a dome around Hunter and Dustin.

"Hunter, what's going on?" she asked. She reached out to touch the energy, but snatched her fingers back, stung from an instant of contact.

"I can't let you interfere," Hunter said. He was standing now and bent to scoop up Dustin's prone form from the bed.

Tori spun a kick at the energy barrier, but only succeeded in being flung backwards with great force when her foot made contact. She scrambled back to her feet, determined to fight the instant Hunter let down that energy shield to escape.

But he didn't lower the shield. He said another sequence of mysterious words and then a black smoke emerged from nowhere, enveloping him. When the smoke cleared a few seconds later, both Hunter and Dustin had vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Where has he taken Dustin?" Shane demanded.

"I don't know," Blake replied. He was sitting in the middle of the floor of the main room of Ninjops. Cam almost wished he'd try and make a break for it, just so there'd be an excuse to hit him. Instead, he'd come along quietly but was given utterly unhelpful responses to their questions. The book that he'd had with him was now open on a table, Tori flicking through the pages, searching for something she recognised from Hunter's room.

"The penalty for using dark ninja powers is banishment," said Sensei.

"I know," said Blake. He was staring at the floor, not looking up at his former friends as they glared at him with expressions ranging from anger to hatred.

"This is it!" said Tori. Cam went and looked over her shoulder. The page was full of text, apart from one image, a symbol of power. "This was the mark that was cut into Hunter's back."

"A spell for summoning the spirit of Dagrimar, destroyer of souls?" Cam read.

"How could you?" Tori demanded, tears in her eyes, "Dustin was supposed to be your friend."

"He is."

So you summoned something to destroy his soul? Real friendly," snarled Shane. He looked like he wanted to snap Blake in half. Cam would gladly have helped him.

Blake looked up for the first time since he'd been brought down here. "Dagrimar was already inside him," he said.

"Explain," said Sensei calmly. He was the only person in the room who didn't look like they wanted to beat Blake into a pulp, though that might just be because Cam was still not very good at reading guinea pig expressions. He thought his father was being oddly calm about it,  
particularly given what his brother had become through using the dark powers.

"In the fight three days ago, the monster drew a symbol in the air that created an energy blast," said Blake. Cam remembered the fight well enough. They'd finished off the monster pretty quickly, walking away unscathed with the exception of Dustin, who'd had a few bruises from being hit by the energy blast.

"Hunter and I recognised the mark and Hunter figured out that the energy blast put Dagrimar's spirit inside Dustin. It would have eaten away at Dustin's soul slowly until there was nothing of the real Dustin left inside of him. The spell Hunter used was to draw Dagrimar out hiding and force it into battle. It hasn't had time to do much damage to Dustin's spirit and now the two of them are fighting for control. Dustin's strong, we thought that if we could force Dagrimar into a direct battle, Dustin stood a better chance of winning."

"If this is true," said Sensei, "why did you not inform us of your suspicions?"

"Because the only spells that can control Dagrimar are dark powers. Hunter said that you'd never agree to using the dark ninja powers. Not even to save Dustin's life."

"The dark powers are forbidden for a reason," said Sensei, "Even when used for seemingly good purposes, the powers can twist themselves around the motives to do great evil."

"You make it sound like the powers have a will of their own," said Cam.

"On occasion, they can do." Sensei turned back to Blake, "You may have had Dustin's interests in mind when you performed this spell, but it may be that you have cause more damage than you fixed."

"How did you even know about these spells?" Tori asked.

"We were shown them about a month before the academy was attacked by Lothor. We were told that we should be able to recognise the workings of dark powers so that we could stop them. Our Sensei never expected us to use them."

"I can see why," said Shane. He didn't look at all convinced by Blake's explanation. In fact, he looked very much like he'd love to hand Blake over to a soul-devouring evil spirit.

"Why are we even listening to this?" Shane asked, "Dustin's out there and he obviously needs our help. Why aren't we out their looking for him?"

"Calm down, Shane," said Sensei. He'd flipped across to the central table and was now standing on the book, moving down the page as he read the lines of text. "It would appear Blake is being honest that there are two ways for Dagrimar to be summoned. One method infects the victim discretely, allowing Dagrimar to slowly destroy a person's soul, frequently without the victim even being aware until the later stages. The second method forces a direct battle of wills that the strong of spirit may survive. It is this method that is begun by carving the symbol into the flesh."

"Does that book say anything about stopping the battle?"

"It does not. I believe we must simply hope that Dustin's spirit is strong enough."

Blake added, "It was always our plan to only keep Dustin hidden for as long as it took for the spell to work, one way or the other. He and Hunter should come back on their own when this is over."

There was a short silence as they all considered what had been revealed and what this meant. They'd have to just wait, helpless and not knowing, until such a time as Dustin returned. Or didn't return. With all their collective powers, they didn't know of a way to find them or to free Dustin from his predicament.

"Dustin's got a pretty strong spirit, right?" asked Tori, "Right?"

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Hunter hit the side of his flashlight a few times but nothing happened. It looked like the battery had completely died this time. He fumbled round on the shelf by the door for the candles he was reasonably sure were kept there. The Wind Academy's secret lair had a super computer complete with satellite surveillance system. The Thunder Academy's didn't even have electric lights.

He knocked a couple of objects off the shelves before he managed to find the candles. Something else fell off before he located the matches and managed to get some light in the little store room. He was still alive though, so presumably he hadn't dislodged the dark ninja equivalent of a bomb.

Dustin looked even worse in the dim, flickering light of the candle. His skin was clammy with sweat and he'd now gone from feverishly warm to icy cold and shivering. Hunter had taken of his t-shirt to lay over Dustin, but it wasn't exactly much of a blanket. He'd come here in a panic, thinking only to take Dustin somewhere they wouldn't be detected. He hadn't had time to think about bringing anything with him.

Damn that Tori! So nosy. What did she think gave her the right to just wander into someone else's home? Because of her, Dustin was now lying on hard stones instead of a comfortable bed and Hunter had no food or water for either of them.

He wondered briefly about Blake, who would have no idea where he was. When he'd first arrived, he'd half-expected Blake to open the trapdoor and come down, since there was no sign of the book here. As time passed, Hunter guessed Blake must have decided to hide the book somewhere else to keep it out of his hands. Wherever he was, he'd know to stay away from the Wind Rangers. He was smart enough to stay out of sight until Dustin was better and they could prove to Sensei that they'd done the right thing.

He wished Blake hadn't gone off in a sulk about the book, then maybe they'd both be here together. Then one of them could go to get some supplies. But no, he had to act like the goody-goody. He was so busy acting all high and mighty, like he'd never dream of using dark powers, when he was the one who'd mentioned the existence of the spell in the first place.

Dustin moaned slightly.

Hunter hated this. He hated sitting here, able to do nothing but watch. There was all this power around him, centuries of objects that could do too much damage if they ended up in the wrong hands. He stood and walked around the shelves, wondering what the items might do if they were in the right hands.

He saw something that looked like a glove. It was black fabric, except for the palm where there were small circles of metal. It was used for sucking the strength out of people so it could be used by the wearer. It was obvious why such a thing was unbelievably dangerous in the hands of someone evil but Hunter didn't see why it shouldn't be used in the service of good, if the victim was a voluntary one.

He took the glove and fitted it over Dustin's right hand. The sleeping figure didn't even notice.

Hunter took a deep breath and then lifted Dustin's gloved hand, placing it on the bare skin over his heart. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Dustin was exhausted. It felt like he'd been fighting for years. Dagrimar just wasn't getting tired at all. He fought as fiercely as when they'd started. Dustin kicked and dodged, hit and blocked. All the while, he kept wishing his friends would come to his aid or Cam would teleport him to safety. It occurred to him just how used he'd gotten to having his friends with him when he fought.

Then he slammed painfully into the ground and it occurred to him he ought to stop worrying about his dependencies and concentrate on Dagrimar.

"Just give up, boy," the ninja spirit jeered, "It will be so much easier for you."

"Not a chance," said Dustin. He'd have to be a lot more than exhausted before the thought of giving up even crossed his mind.

He stood before Dagrimar, ready for the next bout. When Dagrimar came at him again, Dustin found the dodges strangely easier. His own strikes seemed to have a greater impact. As they traded blows, it seemed that the exhaustion fell away and he was stronger and fresher. He didn't know where this extra strength was coming from, but he wasn't going to waste it. He pressed the attack, using everything Sensei had ever taught him and saw Dagrimar stumble backwards.

"Maybe you should give up," Dustin said, grinning slightly at this minor victory.

"Foolish boy!"

"I've never let that stop me before."

"Your friend doesn't have the strength to do more than prolong the inevitable. He will destroy himself in a futile effort to save you."

So that explained the sudden burst of strength. His friends were still beside him, helping him. One friend anyway. He wondered which, as drove Dagrimar back with a succession of kicks. He also wondered how.

He tried to remember the lessons they'd had on the ninja spirit and wished he'd spent less time doodling Power Rangers in the margin. Ninja spirits were connected. That was how Sensei could do his telepathy thing. He thought of all the times Sensei had spoken of team work. When he'd first become a Ranger, he'd gone on and on about how the three of them together could do so much more than one alone. He'd talked about how each element was only a part of the whole and needed the others.

Well, if Dustin was in spirit form now, maybe he could reach the others. He closed his eyes and thought of Tori and Shane.

"Guys," he said, "I need your help. I need your strength."

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"Did you feel that?" Tori asked.

"Feel what?" asked Cam.

"Dustin," said Shane, "I think he's asking for help."

"Ninja spirits are connected," said Sensei, "It may be that Dustin's is struggling against this evil and is asking you to share your strength."

"How do we do that?" asked Tori.

"Meditate. Listen to your inner ninja and seek out Dustin's call. Follow it with your spirit and it will take you to his."

"Listen to your inner ninja," Shane muttered, "We should have guessed."

"Can I help?" Blake asked.

"You can help by staying the hell away from Dustin's spirit," answer Shane. Clearly it would take a lot before he was willing to trust Blake again.

Sensei was a lot more forgiving. "Dustin's call reached Shane and Tori because they are all Wind Ninjas; their spirits are of the same form. You are a Thunder Ninja. The difference is in more than just fighting styles. If this fails, then you and Cam may try and share your spirits, but for now we should trust the connection between ninjas of the same path."

Shane and Tori sat cross-legged on the floor. Cam turned away from the computer, which was still running searches for Dustin, Hunter or any trace of dark power. He watched, wishing, like Blake, that he was a part of this. But he'd gotten used to sitting at the computer while these three worked together. He knew that if anyone could find Dustin, it would be these two.

The two sat, not quite facing each other. Tori held out her right hand and Shane took it in his left. Then each held out their free hands to the empty space, as though they were waiting for someone to join them to make the circle complete. For a long while, nothing seemed to happen, then Cam began to imagine he saw hands clasping theirs. If he looked out of the corner of his eye, he could almost see a figure in yellow, sitting between the other two.

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Tori realised she was no longer sitting and opened her eyes to see a dark place. There was no apparent source of illumination, yet she could clearly see Shane standing beside her. In the distance, she heard the sound of a struggle and she started running through the blackness towards the noise.

There was Dustin, struggling valiantly against an opponent dressed entirely in black. Tori and Shane rushed to his side. The opponent, presumably Dagrimar, took a step back. Even with his face masked, the astonishment was obvious.

"How is this possible?" Dagrimar demanded.

"Dark ninja powers," said Dustin, "verses the power of friendship."

"Please," muttered Tori, "You make it sound like we're in one of those cheesy kids' shows, with a different moral each week."

"Let's just finish this guy," said Shane.

"Sounds good to me," said Dustin.

Together, the three of them charged in to the attack. Dagrimar fought back fiercely, but it was clear that the odds were now very much in favour of the Rangers.

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Hunter pulled away with difficulty. The glove didn't want to part with his skin and it took enormous effort to get Dustin's hand away for his chest. When he was finally free of its touch, he just sat of the stone floor, gasping for air and shaking. He felt like even standing up would take more energy than he could muster.

He'd given Dustin all he could. There was white glitter floating round the edges of his vision and he'd felt moments away from passing out when he'd stopped the transfer of energy. He hoped it was enough.

When Hunter felt able to move again, he reached out a shaking hand to touch Dustin's forehead. His skin was a more normal temperature now. That had to be a good thing, right? He'd also stopped struggling and moaning. Hunter hoped this was a sign that he was now winning the battle.

Hunter closed his eyes, his body desperate to fall asleep. But he knew he had to stay awake. He had to watch, just in case it hadn't worked. If this was Dustin's end, he was going to stay here to finish it. He couldn't leave Dustin alone now, not even to sleep.

He pulled off the glove and took Dustin's hand in his own. He sat back against the wall looking down on Dustin's still form. He wished he could remember the mind reading spell, just so he could see what was happening, but he knew he wouldn't be able to draw the symbol properly from memory. He'd been lucky to remember the words of the spell to transport them here. But he was too tired to even feel angry at Blake for taking the book.

He shut his eyes. Just for a moment. He wasn't going to sleep. He just wanted to rest while he waited for this dizzying tiredness to fade. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Dustin opened his eyes. Wherever he was, it was dark, but not the complete blackness that there had been in the place he'd been in before. This was a little room, lit by a single candle that was burning low. Beside him, another figure was sleeping against the wall.

He noticed that Hunter was topless before he noticed the reason why. The t-shirt had been draped across Dustin as an attempt at a blanket. Dustin's mind was sluggish and slow. He felt just as exhausted now as he had been in the battle and wanted to just shut his eyes and sleep again, but he needed answers. He needed to know what had just happened to him.

He moved his hands to push himself into a sitting position, only then noticing that one of his hands was clutched in Hunter's. That was slightly weird. Not quite as weird as a ninja spirit fighting him in his head, but nonetheless a little odd.

Dustin managed to sit up after the second attempt. There were sparkling dots around the edge of his vision that suggested food, water or rest were urgently required. Hunter must have noticed the movement, because he stirred awake.

"Dustin," he said, "is that you?"

"I think so. Unless I'm another me who just thinks I'm me."

Hunter gave a small laugh, "It's you." And he pulled Dustin into a hug.

"What happened?" Dustin asked. Hunter began to explain about Dagrimar. When he mentioned using the book of dark powers, Dustin was shocked.

"But that stuff's forbidden."

A change came over Hunter. His happiness at seeing Dustin apparently well again was replaced by an inexplicable anger. He got to his feet, stalked about two paces across the room and then turned back to Dustin, a look of rage on his features.

"I just saved your life! You're looking at me like I've just committed a crime. I used the powers for good. Isn't that what matters?"

"Hunter, are you feeling alright?" Dustin asked. He couldn't recall ever seeing Hunter this angry and he wasn't quite sure of the cause now. He might have been shocked, but his words didn't deserve this kind of reaction.

"Alright? Apart from the fact I gave you most of my strength, I'm fine. I risked my life to help you and you're staring at me like there's something wrong with me. All I did was good. What does it matter if I used the dark powers to do it?"

"I think, maybe, we'd better go see Sensei." Dustin was on his feet, reaching out to Hunter in an effort to calm him.

"You really think that old rodent will understand? He banished his own brother, do you really think he'll listen to me. He's such a stubborn little rat, trapped in the past. He's too scared of the dark powers to even imagine their potential. If he would let us use them, we could defeat Lothor tomorrow."

"The dark powers are dangerous," Dustin said. If he hadn't believed it before, he believed it now. Staring at Hunter's wild, angry eyes.

"Dangerous? You ungrateful fool!" Hunter's hands grabbed hold of Dustin's shoulder's pushing hard enough to slam him into the wall. Dustin gave a little gasp of pain as the edge of shelf hit him in the middle of his back. Hunter didn't seem to notice. He just pressed Dustin there, their bodies touching, their faces inches apart as he glared into Dustin's eyes.

"Those powers saved your life. I saved your life! And you haven't even said thank you."

Dustin was completely unprepared for what happened next. Hunter leaned in and kissed him, fiercely and passionately, all that rage poured out in a gesture of desire.

Once the immediately shock had worn off, Dustin started shoving, but he was still weak from his ordeal and it was obvious that approach wasn't going to work. So he bit down. Not especially hard, but it had the desired effect.

Hunter let go and took a step back, staring in amazement and fury. He reached to his mouth, but there was no blood. It was surprise that had made him let go rather than any injury.

"You bas..." he began, but Dustin cut him off.

"I could have used my knee to make you back off."

That mercy didn't seem to have the right affect on Hunter.

"Everything I've done for you and this is how you repay me!" His hand collided with the side of Dustin's face with enough force to knock Dustin to the floor. He sprawled for a second, then he heard Hunter's voice behind him, all anger vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Dustin? Dustin, are you alright?" Hunter asked with fear in his voice.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"I've picked up their morphers!" Cam exclaimed excitedly. The rest of the Rangers crowded round his computer while Cam rapidly typed in the commands to get the teleportation system to lock on to their location. A moment later and the yellow and crimson Rangers appeared in the middle of Ninjops.

Hunter was holding Dustin up. Both looked pale and tired, but Dustin looked on the point of collapse. Hunter lowered him down to sit on the table. The instant Hunter stepped back, Tori had her arms around Dustin in a fierce hug. Blake was hugging Hunter as well. Cam didn't display his relief quite so physically, but he was amazingly glad to see them as well. He'd been waiting in nervous anticipation since Tori and Shane had come out of their meditation. As the minutes passed, he'd begun to be afraid that something had gone wrong and that the battle hadn't been the victory the other two seemed to believe. But now Dustin was back and safe and probably being crushed by the strength of Tori's hug.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Nothing food, water and a lot of sleep won't fix," Dustin replied, "Thank you, guys."

"Any time," said Shane, "We were really worried about you."

Cam ordered Cyber Cam to go and get some food for Dustin and Hunter. Sensei was asking Dustin to describe what had happened, so he did. Cam listened with the rest to the description of Dagrimar's spirit and the long battle. Then Dustin said he'd woken up in the Thunder Academy's storeroom with Hunter.

"Hunter said he'd used the dark..." he broke off, looking around the room. "Where's he gone?"

Cam looked round. He'd been so focussed on Dustin that he hadn't noticed their group was one member smaller. Hunter must have left while none of them were watching.

"I'll start scanning for his morpher," said Cam. If Hunter had knowledge of dark powers, they didn't want him out there on his own until they were sure he wasn't going to use them.

"That won't do much good," said Shane, bending down to pick up the morpher Hunter had abandoned.

"He's taken the book," said Tori.

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Hunter was running through the woods. His feet pounded across the earth. Occasionally he'd streak, jumping a hundred metres or so in a flash of energy. He had to get far enough away that they weren't going to find him. Sensei would banish him, send him out into the universe. He hadn't tried to listen to his brother. Maybe Lothor wouldn't be the monster he was now if Sensei had tried to understand why he'd tried to use the powers.

He'd hide. He'd use the cloaking spell to conceal himself until he could think of a way to convince the others that the book was worth using.

Maybe if he blew up one of Lothor's monsters with it, maybe even destroyed Lothor's ship, it would be enough to let them believe he was right. At the moment, not even Blake would believe in him. History would repeat itself if he stayed now. Even Dustin doubted, after the powers had been used to save his life.

So Hunter ran, clutching the book to his chest.

At last, when he was gasping for breath and his legs were screaming at him in exhaustion, he collapsed to the ground. He must have got far enough away now. They'd have no way to know which direction he'd taken. The mixture of running and streaking would make it near impossible for them to track him. And he had power on his side.

He grabbed a stick and used it to scratch symbols into the dirt. He didn't even have to look at the book. Somehow, he remembered exactly what to write. He scribbled the marks in the earth using the stick, each symbol beginning to glow as he finished it until there was a luminous circle around him. For a moment, they shone brightly, then the lights faded into black and the spell was complete.

He was safe for the time being. He would wait here for now.

Then he would go find Dustin. He would make Dustin understand how important this was.

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Dustin had been sent home to sleep. The others would search for Hunter. Dustin felt slightly guilty about leaving them, particularly since Hunter wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for him. But Sensei was right; he was too tired to be of much use.

He opened the front door. His dad called through a greeting from the living room. Dustin responded and then headed up to his bedroom. There was a definite advantage at times to his dad's apparent lack of caring. He probably hadn't even noticed that Dustin had been kidnapped.

He kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto his bed. Getting undressed would just be too much effort.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift into sleep.

He opened his eyes again to find himself standing in that dark place. He was instantly alert and in fighting stance, looking around him for Dagrimar. Instead, the figure that approached him had crimson edging on his uniform.

"Hunter?" Dustin asked.

"It's me." The familiar voice had a harsh edge to it.

"What's going on?"

"A mind-reading spell."

"Hunter, you've got to stop this. You can't use the dark powers."

"Why not?" Hunter ripped off his mask to reveal a face that was filled with anger. "I can be stronger than I ever was. I can fight any enemy who tries to stop me. I can save the people I love! Why should I give this up?"

"Because it's changed you! Look at yourself, Hunter. This isn't you."

"You're right. I'm better than me. You're going to see that and then you're going to tell Sensei and the others."

"Hunter, you need help."

"I don't need anyone's help!" Hunter leapt into an attack without warning.

It seemed strange that Dustin had been here so recently fighting an enemy and now he was here fighting a friend. He blocked Hunter's attacks but didn't make any of his own.

"Hunter, stop this! I don't want to fight you!"

But Hunter wasn't listening. Dustin realised how bad his position was. If he kept defending, it would only take one lucky shot from Hunter to get him down and he knew Hunter was better than he was. Hunter had been trained since he was a little kid; Dustin had only been going to the ninja school for a couple of years. Dustin kept blocking and dodging, but inevitably, Hunter would get through his defences.

Sure enough, Hunter got in a blow to Dustin's stomach and then managed to knock his feet from under him while he was still winded. Dustin ended up flat on his back, Hunter on top of him, pinning him down.

"I don't need your help, Dustin. Not when I've got everything I need right here."

He leaned in to kiss Dustin.

Dustin tried to push Hunter off but he was too heavy. Hunter must have remembered the comment earlier about knees because Dustin's legs were effectively trapped beneath Hunter's own. Hunter's hands gripped Dustin's wrists, pinning them to the ground.

"Hunter, this isn't you," Dustin said, trying to get some sort of leverage to throw Hunter off.

"You're wrong. This is me. This is the part of me I've been hiding since the day I met you. But I don't have to hide anymore." 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

What was he doing? This wasn't what he wanted.

He'd used the spell to convince Dustin that it was safe to use the dark powers. Not to hurt him.

Hunter released his grip on Dustin's wrists. Dustin didn't hesitate to grab Hunter's shoulders and throw him off. Hunter rolled with the throw, not even trying to resist it, and got to his feet in one fluid motion. Dustin was also standing, tensed for a fight. But Hunter just stepped backwards, spreading his arms in a gesture of peace.

"I'm sorry," Hunter said, "I don't know what came over me."

"I'd guess it's the dark ninja powers," Dustin replied.

Hunter wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that the dark powers could be used for good, but he could think of nothing else that had happened recently that could explain these changes in him. He was doing things that he'd never normally consider and yet it didn't even seem strange to him at the time. Like hitting Dustin back in the storeroom. Or pinning him to the ground here. Sure, he'd often wondered what would happen if he just grabbed Dustin and kissed him breathless, but that didn't mean he'd ever really think about doing it.

"You have to talk to Sensei," said Dustin, "He'll be able to help you."

"No!" Hunter knew what Sensei would do. He'd stick to the rules and banish Hunter without a second thought. All Hunter had tried to do was the right thing. He'd wanted to save Dustin from having his soul destroyed by a great evil. There was nothing wrong with that. But there was no way Sensei would understand that.

"Just tell me where you are," said Dustin, "I'll come and find you and we can sort this out."

Or he'd tell Sensei. He'd go straight to that little rodent and tell him whatever Hunter told him. Dustin was so keen to be the good boy that he'd rat him out in a second. If Blake had turned on him and gone to Ninjops with the book, there was no way he could trust any of them.

Dustin didn't trust him now. He was still standing there as though he expected a fight. After everything Hunter had gone through for him! Didn't Hunter deserve just a little understanding? But no, he was standing there, already planning on turning Hunter in. Who'd have thought that behind that innocent expression could hide such a schemer? He was standing there like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, ready to hand Hunter over the instant he knew where he was.

"Not a chance!" Hunter snarled, and severed the spell.

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Dustin returned to Ninjops, feeling no more rested and more worried than ever. He gave Sensei and the guys a short summary of the conversation he'd had with Hunter inside his mind. He just missed out the part about Hunter kissing him. That was just too weird for him to deal with right now. His friend going slightly crazy and trying to attack him randomly was bad enough. He'd worry about Hunter suddenly turning gay and kissing him when everything else was taken care of.

"It would appear that using the dark powers," said Sensei, "is making Hunter lose control of the darkness within himself."

"What do you mean, 'the darkness within himself'?" asked Blake, sounding slightly angry at the implication that his brother might be partly evil.

"No human being is entirely free of evil inclinations," said Sensei, "they are just able to control them to a greater or lesser extent. Imagine you saw someone in a café leaving his wallet on the table while he went to get a refill. You might think about how easy it would be to take the man's money, but you would never actually do it. Or if someone insulted you, you might think how satisfying it would be to punch them, but you would never even raise your hand."

"So you mean that Hunter will do anything that occurs to him, without considering whether it's a good idea?" Blake sounded truly horrified by the prospect.

"So it would appear," Sensei replied.

"You really think that a part of Hunter would want to. to hurt me?" asked Dustin. He didn't want to ask the question he really wanted to know the answer to. He wanted Sensei to be wrong, because his current theory meant that Hunter would consider kissing him. Presumably quite frequently, given that it had happened in his mind and back when he'd first woken in the storeroom.

"Have there never been occasions when you were upset with something and you would snap at your friends even though you knew deep inside that they only wished to help? Have you never been so angry at something you can't change that you've wished to hit something or someone, just to use your feelings?"

Dustin thought about it. He remembered dozens of occasions where he'd felt so invisible to his dad that he'd longed to run up to him and hit him, just so that he'd be noticed. There had been occasions when he'd been worried about things back home, and yet Shane would be talking about skateboarding like it was the most important thing in the world. Dustin could remember once that he'd clearly thought he should take that skateboard and shove it where the sun didn't shine.

Dustin wondered how many times he'd annoyed his friends so much that they'd thought about hurting him, in the quiet parts of their minds. He knew he could be irritating at times and Hunter never showed anything on that brooding face of his. How many times had he been watching Dustin, thinking about hitting him or pinning him to the ground?

Or kissing him?

"This can't really be Hunter," said Dustin. If a par t of Hunter really did think about kissing him, there would have been some signs. Hunter had never indicated, even for a fraction of a second, that he was interested in guys. So why should he be interested in Dustin?

"The real Hunter is the person who considers the good and bad options and chooses to do only the good. The person out there now is someone would think of both options and would do both without considering the consequences."

"Can you help him?" asked Blake.

"Hunter must learn to control his actions once more. To do that, he must first accept that he needs help."

"Hunter's never been good at accepting help at the best of times."

Dustin thought of their conversations, both during the mind-reading spell and in the storeroom, after Hunter had hit him. There were moments of normality, when Hunter returned to his old self and he knew that something was wrong with him. If they could find him during one of these rational periods, they could probably convince him of what was happening. Whether he'd still believe when he went crazy again, Dustin couldn't be sure of.

Dustin realised that he'd suddenly accepted Sensei's assessment. He had to admit, it made sense in most ways. It explained everything except that crucial detail Dustin hadn't mentioned. But Dustin remembered what Hunter had said just before kissing him, about how he'd been hiding this since they'd first met. Was it really possible that Hunter could have feelings for him that he'd never shown?

"Hmm," said Cam, the quiet sound cutting through the worried thoughts of the others in the room. Cam was still sitting in front of the computer; Dustin wasn't even sure he'd been listening to the conversation.

"Have you found something?" asked Blake, hurrying over.

"Maybe. I've been running scans of the forest in a grid pattern to cover the entire area. I've not picked up any trace of a human but I just got a slight glitch. It might be nothing, or it might be caused by a cloaking spell."

"We should check it out," said Shane.

"Let me go and talk to him," said Blake. "I'm sure I can get through to him."

"You lie to us, use forbidden powers and kidnap our friend," said Shane, "and you still expect us to let you go?"

"Give him a break, Shane," Tori said. "He was only trying to help."

"I should go," Dustin said, before a full-blown argument could start up between Shane and Tori, "I'm the reason Hunter's like this and I'm the one he's approached. I should try and talk to him."

"Go, Dustin," said Sensei, "but be careful. You may not find the person you know."

"Please, Dustin," said Blake, "help him."

"I'll try." 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Dustin walked quickly through the woods, looking around in all directions for any trace of Hunter. He was beginning to feel that Cam's glitch might have been just that. a glitch. Then he saw a figure curled up asleep. Dustin walked over to him and saw Hunter lying in a circle of symbols.

He didn't wake Hunter immediately, since the Crimson Ranger could be seriously cranky when he first woke up even at the best of times. Dustin was fairly certain this wasn't going to be the best of times. He started by erasing some of the symbols with his foot. He rubbed his toe in the dirt until one of the marks was obliterated and then moved on to the next one. He wondered why it was taking so long to do the whole circle, when he saw a symbol scratching itself in the dust, rewriting itself.

He quickened the pace. The spell seemed quite slow at reforming and Dustin could erase faster than it could write. Still, he ended up going round Hunter about three times before he scrubbed out the last of the marks.

He stood back, waiting for either something horrible to happen or the circle to just reappear and undo all his work. But nothing happened. Hunter just lay there, sleeping in a circle of scuffed earth. Dustin noticed that Hunter was using the book as a makeshift pillow. Dustin decided that he had to do something; there was no point standing here all night. For a moment he was half-tempted just to hit Hunter over the head while he slept and carry him unconscious back to Ninjops. Instead, he took a deep breath and then reached down to shake Hunter's shoulder.

Hunter stirred slightly, opening his eyes. Then he caught sight of Dustin and full wakefulness hit him. He sat up with a start, grabbing for the book.

"How did you find me?" Hunter asked.

"Cam's a genius, remember?"

Hunter looked down, taking in the sight of the scuffed earth. "You destroyed my spell."

"It tried to stop me. It was recreating itself as I was trying to get rid of it. The dark powers are alive on some level, Hunter, and they're trying to get control over you."

"That's ridiculous."

"Hunter, please, I'm your friend and I want to help you. You've got to see that you're not acting like yourself."

"I'm not doing anything I don't want to."

"Maybe you do want this on some level, but the real Hunter, the person I know, would never do some of the things you've done." Dustin explained briefly what Sensei thought was happening. Hunter at least listened.

"The old Hunter was a fool," said Hunter, "I spent my entire life just doing what was expected of me, never having anything I really wanted. Now I can do anything I like. I can have everything! I am stronger now than I've ever been. I can do so much good like this, Dustin."

"And so much damage. This is just like in martial arts: all the power in the world means nothing if you don't have control. You've done things like this that you've regretted a minute later. That will keep happening, Hunter. Unless you stop regretting the bad things and, if that happens, I'm not sure we'll be able to save you."

"I don't want saving."

Dustin decided to take a chance. Hunter had kissed him twice while he was under the influence of the dark powers. Maybe, just maybe, Dustin could use that to his advantage.

"You can't get everything you want like this," said Dustin, "What about friendship? And love?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The person we care about is the person you were before you started using that book. That person, I would have done just about anything for. The person you are now, I can't even trust."

Hunter didn't say anything, but Dustin thought he was listening. So Dustin kept speaking, pushing this advantage.

"You were kissing me when I was pinned to the ground and trapped, but you said that wasn't what you wanted. It's not, is it? You want me to be kissing you because I want to, not because you're forcing me. But the person you're turning into, I'm not even sure I like." It wasn't exactly a lie. Dustin wasn't promising to be with Hunter. He wasn't saying he love him or wanted to kiss him. He was just stating the fact the he definitely wouldn't want to be with the Hunter who was slipping rapidly towards evil.

"Let us help you be who you were," Dustin said, "become the person that we all care about again."

He stepped up to Hunter, who still wasn't saying anything. Dustin took the like of argument or violence as a sign that this was working. Then they were standing right in front of each other. Hunter reached out slowly and put his hand on the back of Dustin's neck.

"For you," Hunter said. He tilted Dustin's head and leaned in for a kiss. Dustin let him, repeating over and over in his mind that Hunter needed this hope to come back to himself. Dustin just wasn't looking forward to the conversation they'd have to have after that.

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"Um. don't you think we should give them some privacy?" asked Blake. Cyber Cam had another suggestion.

"Popcorn," he said, offering a bowl.

"Well, we want to be sure that Hunter's not going to start attacking him again," said Cam, staring at the screen with a strange fascination, knowing he probably ought to look away but finding himself compelled to watch.

"It looks like Dustin's got the situation in hand," said Blake.

"That's not the only thing he's got in hand," Tori added with a smirk, taking another handful of popcorn.

"I did not need to see that," said Shane from across the other side of the room, where he was studying the wall with apparent interest.

"I dunno," said Tori, "Two cute guys snogging? I think it's kinda hot."

"I really did not need to hear that," Shane said.

"That's it!" snapped Cam. He grabbed the popcorn bowl off Cyber Cam and ordered, "You, go put yourself on standby." He turned to Tori, who was still grinning at the computer screen, "You, whatever you're thinking about, stop thinking it." He turned to Shane, "And you, try to dial down the homophobic reaction a little."

"It's not homophobic," Shane said, "Whatever they chose to do is fine by me. I just really, really don't want to have to watch it."

"Well, it's OK, they've stopped kissing now."

On the screen Hunter and Dustin had set off at a walk in the direction of Ninjops.

"I think," said Sensei, "it may be best if they are not immediately made aware of the fact they were observed."

"Hang on," said Shane, coming over to Cam and looking rather worried, "can this satellite system see everywhere?"

"It combines data from multiple satellites in different orbits to create a single visual image at ground level," said Cam, "but it can't see through walls." Shane looked immensely relieved. "Why? What have you been doing that you don't want me watching?"

"A discussion to be saved for another time, perhaps," said Sensei. Again, Shane looked rather relieved. Cam started wondering if he ought to finish working on the thermal imagining upgrade for the satellite network so he could see what Shane was so worried about.

For the moment though, he just sat and worried with the rest as they waited for Hunter and Dustin to return. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Dustin walked with Hunter back through the woods. The pace seemed to slow as they drew nearer Ninjops, but he didn't say anything. He guessed Hunter was still worrying what the reaction of the others would be.

Dustin was wondering how the hell he was supposed to explain what had happened between him and Hunter. He wasn't sure what Hunter expected of him. If the two of them started acting like a couple, then the others would be bound to ask him. He wasn't sure he should lie to them. He wasn't sure he should lie to Hunter, though that seemed to be the only thing bringing him back to his friends.

At last, they reached the waterfall and Hunter hesitated.

"Come on," said Dustin, touching Hunter's arm and giving an encouraging smile.

Hunter didn't say anything. He just stood there for several seconds, staring at the waterfall. His grip around the book tightened slightly and Dustin began to worry that he'd changed his mind. Then he walked across the pond. Dustin hoped his relief wasn't too obvious as he followed.

The rest of the Rangers were waiting in the main room. No one said anything for a long moment. Hunter eventually broke the silence with a quite hello.

"Hunter," Sensei spoke solemnly from his little accommodation hutch, "I can sympathise with your original reasons for using the dark powers but now the need is gone and you must stop. I ask you to hand over the book so that you won't be tempted to use it any more."

Hunter looked at the book for a long moment and then placed it on the table. Sensei nodded to Cam who picked it up and carried it from the room, presumably to lock it away securely.

"You took a great risk for the sake of a friend when you used that book," continued Sensei, "but the dark powers have caused damage to your being. You are no longer in complete control of your actions and you must relearn that control."

Dustin thought it a good sign that Hunter was learning that he hadn't attacked anyone despite Sensei's apparent criticism.

"You must accept the guidance of your friends to help you through this process."

"I don't need help," Hunter snapped.

"I want you to think, Hunter, would the person you used to be have said that?"

"Probably," muttered Blake.

Hunter turned on him, an angry snarl on his face. "Just because I'm not some hopeless little kid who has to run to his brother for help with everything!"

"That, you wouldn't normally say," Blake said calmly, despite the fact that Hunter looked about a second away from punching him.

"Listen to him, Hunter," said Sensei, "The person you used to be, the person we want you to be again, would not have reacted with such anger. Try to calm yourself. You must learn not to act on every impulse."

"If I reacted to every impulse," Hunter turned to the guinea pig, "I'd have told you to take your calm, ninja master comments and shove them..."

Dustin stepped in front of him, placing a hand on Hunter's chest, "Hunter, please."

Hunter looked at him and the anger gradually faded from his face.

"That is a good start," Sensei said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dustin, I think we should talk," said Tori. Dustin was busy rearranging the skateboards in Storm Chargers.

"About what?"

"Hunter."

Well, that wasn't surprising. It had been just over a week since Hunter had surrendered the book. He was spending most of his time in Ninjops meditating, doing calming exercises and frequently attacking Cam. Apparently he was improving though. The previous day he'd only got as far as yelling insults at Cam before calming down. Dustin was there frequently and everyone seemed to have noticed that Hunter was calmer when he was there.

Dustin leaned against the shelves and took a deep breath before turning to face Tori.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Do you like him? I mean... well, you know what I mean."

"No. I mean yes. I mean, I know what you mean. But no, I don't really like Hunter that way."

"I know you two... I know you kissed."

That hadn't been what Dustin had been expecting to hear. He knew he couldn't hide it forever, particularly not with Hunter getting better. He just wasn't quite ready to explain things yet.

"He needed to believe it was worth getting control again," Dustin said, praying desperately that Tori would understand. "I never actually told him I wanted to be... well... with him."

"But you let him think it. That's just as bad."

"I know. But I didn't know any other way to get him to accept help."

"Dustin, do you not realise what will happen when he finds out?"

"I know. I know. I'm going to tell him. But I want to make sure he's completely better before I say anything. Otherwise he'll..." Dustin trailed off, thinking of the uncontrollable fury he'd seen in Hunter's features.

"Otherwise I'll what?"

Dustin jumped. Hunter had walked into the shop and was now staring at Dustin with exactly the rage he'd been imagining. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Hunter, I can explain," began Dustin, rapidly trying to think of a way he could. Hunter advanced on him, a lot of undiluted fury on his face.

"Explain? You can explain why you were lying to me?"

Hunter advanced on him. Dustin tried to back away but there was a shelf of skateboards behind him. Tori tried to step between, but Hunter just shoved her away, still staring at Dustin, who was now edging sideways along the wall. Around the shop, customers were looking at them with curiosity. Kelly had come out of the back room and was clearly trying to work out what was happening.

"I trusted you! I risked everything for you!"

"I was just trying to help," said Dustin, realising how lame that sounded. He'd edged as far as he could go and was now pinned in the corner, Hunter looming in front of him.

"You thought you could help by making me believe the impossible?"

"I just wanted you to get better."

"Maybe I was better off as I was." Hunter closed what little distance there was between them and grabbed the top of Dustin's arms, pinning them. Dustin was surprised at the strength, the pressure of Hunter's fingers feeling like they were going to go straight through his flesh. He struggled slightly but there was no way Hunter was about to let go.

"Can we just talk about this?" Dustin asked.

"I'm through with talking to you."

"Hunter, stop!" Blake came running into the shop, Shane a step behind him. Dustin guessed Tori must have called him.

"Hunter, you don't want to do this," Blake said, "Please stop, for me."

"Why should I do anything you ask? Even you've turned against me."

"That's not true. We're just trying to help."

"Well don't!" Then Hunter started saying something else, strange syllables that sounded like gibberish. Blake ran forward to try and get him to stop, seizing Hunter's arm. Hunter, still with one hand holding Dustin, broke the other free of Blake's grip. He hit his brother in the stomach with inhuman strength, the force of it sending Blake into the air and flying several metres across the shop, hitting one of the displays with a crack and then lying far too still on the ground.

Dustin stared, hoping to spot some sign of movement, but Hunter didn't even seem to care how badly his brother might be hurt. He turned back to Dustin and kept speaking the words of the spell.

Dustin's vision was blocked as something like black smoke swirled around them and he was aware that the pressure of the shelves in his back had vanished. When the smoke cleared, it was obvious that he was no longer in Storm Chargers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blake woke up with a throbbing headache and a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He opened his eyes, blinking several times as the room seemed far too bright. His head was fuzzy and his thoughts unfocussed.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Tori's face swam into focus somewhere above him. A faint groan was all the articulation Blake could manage.

"You hit your head pretty hard," said Cam also appearing in Blake's line of vision, "and nearly dislocated your shoulder."

A battle? He tried to organise his jumbled memories to work out what had happened. Things slowly shifted into place in his mind and he remember Storm Chargers, Hunter threatening Dustin and then... When did his brother get that strong?

"Hunter?" he managed to ask.

"We've no idea," said Tori, "We checked the Thunder Academy and your apartment and all the places Hunter usually hangs out. Cam's been running constant searches and upgrading half the software to try and find something. So far, we've found nothing though."

Blake tried to sit up. He then used his left hand to push himself into a sitting position and succeeded. He'd have to be very careful in any upcoming battles because his right shoulder was protesting at any attempts to move it.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"A couple of hours."

That didn't sound very long, but it was long enough for Hunter to have killed Dustin or done something else almost as bad. Blake sat in the middle of Ninjops and tried to get his brain into something resembling working order.

"What do we do now?" Blake asked.

There was a bleeping and an image of something green and slimy appeared on the computer screen.

"Now," said Shane, "we deal with that thing." He was already on his feet, as were Tori and Cam. Blake began to stand, but Shane said, "You stay here and rest up. We'll call if we need help."

Blake would have argued, but his head was still thumping and the pain in his shoulder hadn't gotten any less.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form"

Tori, Shane and Cam morphed out of Ninjops, leaving Blake sitting uselessly able to do nothing but watch. Cyber Cam emerged from somewhere else in the base and began working on the computer, presumably trying to find Hunter and Dustin. Blake tried hard not to think about what his brother might be doing.

It should have been easy, given how reluctant his brain was to do thinking of any sort right now. But still he kept imagining all the horrible tortures Hunter might have in store for Dustin.

Sensei must have worked out what he was thinking: "If there is a way to save your brother, we will find it."

Blake couldn't help but think it would rely on Hunter wanting to be saved.  



	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Blake sat and watched as Shane, Cam and Tori fought the monster. They seemed to be winning, but that didn't make it any easier to just sit there doing nothing. He watched the fight on the big screen of Cam's computer, while Cyber Cam was doing something on a connected laptop that would hopefully lead to finding Hunter and Dustin.

Blake couldn't help feeling that he was to blame for all this. He'd remembered the book with the spells about Dagrimar. And, yes, while it had been Hunter who'd thought they should try using the spells themselves, Blake should have been able to persuade him to talk to Sensei. They might have been able to find another way to save Dustin without putting Hunter at risk.

Now they might have lost both of them.

Blake didn't want to think about a life without Hunter, or worse, a life with Hunter twisted by evil magic. Both prospects were too terrible to contemplate, but contemplate them he did as he wished he could join in the fight and help his friends.

There was further bleeping. Cyber Cam typed something on the main console and the screen split into two pictures, the first continuing to show the Rangers fighting. The other showing a woman being attacked by Kelzaks.

Blake was on his feet and reaching for his morpher.

"Blake, are you certain you are ready for a battle?" Sensei asked.

"If I'm careful of my shoulder, I'll be fine," Blake answered, sounding more confident than he felt. "Besides, she needs help." He nodded to the computer screen. For a few seconds, the woman's face was clearly in view. Kelly.

"The other guys are needed with that monster," Blake said. He didn't even wait for Sensei to give his approval.

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

He morphed to the city centre, where Kelly was struggling in a crowd of Kelzaks. Lothor must have realised that there was something wrong when only three Rangers turned up to battle his latest creature. Now he was testing them out by attacking someone they cared about.

He leapt into the attack with a series of kicks. What had seemed reasonable in principle was much harder in practice. He was able to fight the Kelzaks off with kicks, using his left arm to block, but he hadn't realised how much he relied on his right arm for balance in moves that didn't appear to involve it. His shoulder was hurting him after only a few seconds and the protection of the Ranger suit wasn't any help.

Then one of the Kelzaks managed to hit him right on the shoulder. He gave a cry of pain and for a moment was too distracted to block another blow that sent him flying. He slammed into the ground, landing unfortunately on his right side. The pain and impact caused the automatic demorphing, his powers taking the worse of the force and shattering with it. His body would be alright, but that didn't stop the burning agony in his shoulder or the momentary weakness of the sudden power down.

"Blake?"

Oh no. Kelly was still around. Blake hadn't be paying attention, but he'd rather been hoping that she'd run when he'd arrived. He staggered to his feet, Kelly hurrying over to help him. She stared with a bewildered confusion on her face.

"You're a Ranger?"

"Uh, yeah. Get out of here, I'll deal with these creeps."

"But you're hurt."

There was no time to argue; the Kelzaks were attacking again. Blake blocked and dodged as well as he was able. He didn't really think he could defeat these things, so he would settle for holding them off until the other Rangers blew up the monster. He just wished there were a few less of them.

A lucky hit from one of the creatures send him sprawling again, this time there was no Ranger suit to prevent the grazes as he skidding across tarmac. He got to his feet again, not about to be stopped by a few scrapes.

Then there was a flash of light and a figure stood between him and the Kelzaks. Blake could do nothing but stand and stare as Hunter, in his Ranger form, kicked serious ass. Whatever extra strength he'd had in Storm Chargers hadn't left him and he was easily knocking each Kelzak out with a single blow. In no time at all, they'd vanished, leaving Hunter standing in the middle of the empty square, Blake watching him in amazement, Kelly almost forgotten as she stood off to one side.

"Hunter?" Blake asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm great," Hunter said with a slight laugh, the tone harsher than it should have been, "I'm not the one who was getting my ass kicked."

Hunter turned to Blake, his powering down his morph as he did so. Either he assumed Kelly knew or he just didn't care any more. Blake stared at his brother. Physically, his appearance was much the same, but there was more confidence in his stance and his expression was colder.

"Where's Dustin?" Blake asked.

"I just saved your life and you don't even thank me," Hunter didn't really sound angry anymore, just completely devoid of kindness, "You care more about Dustin than me."

"I can see you're still alive. I can't be so sure about Dustin."

There was a flicker of surprise across Hunter's features, closely followed by something that might be regret. For that brief moment, Blake thought he saw something of the brother that should have been there.

"You really thought I'd kill Dustin?" 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Hunter transported himself to the house he'd temporarily borrowed. It was just down the road from the apartment he shared with Blake and had been the first place that had come to mind as somewhere to hide. It was inhabited by a pleasant family, the mother was which was a little concerned about two teenage boys living on their own and had a tendency to come round to see them with plates of leftovers. Hunter knew the family were on a two week vacation and, at the time, it hadn't occurred to him that there was anything wrong with just using their house.

He wasn't damaging anything. He could tidy any mess he made and they'd probably never even know he'd been here. Logically, there shouldn't be a problem with this. But another part of himself was now trying to take control, saying that it was wrong to just use other people's property.

Blake had thought he'd kill Dustin.

The thought was a chilling one, enough to shock the violent parts of his being back into submission for the time being. Sure, he'd been angry enough that a large part of him had been delighted with the thought of Dustin in pain, but he'd never kill anyone. Especially not Dustin.

But Blake thought he would. Blake, who knew him better than anyone, had thought he was now capable of murder.

Had he changed so much over the last few days? If so, how much more would he change?

Hunter headed to the bedroom. He knew, now that the rational part of himself was in command again, that what he'd done was unforgivable. If there had ever been the faintest hope that Dustin could care for him, it was gone now. Nothing would change that. Dustin had pretended in a hope that it would give Hunter a purpose, and it had, but even with the believe of a future with Dustin, he'd still been failing most of the time to control the angry impulses.

Now that he knew such a relationship was impossible, was there even the slightest chance he could climb back up the slippery slope he was on? Was the effort even worth it?

He knew that a part of him was still his true self, was still who he had been. He'd felt Blake's need, in a way that had happened, albeit rarely, to the pair in the past. They had a link of brotherhood amplified by their ninja training that meant more than a blood connection. Hunter had felt the danger Blake was in and had responded in the way he always would have done; he'd gone to Blake's rescue. But was that enough, when that part of him was rapidly drowning in the darkness?

He stood in the bedroom door and looked across at his friend. Dustin still lay on the bed, sleeping now. There was blood on his wrists. Hunter had tied him to the bed with a couple of belts he'd pulled from the closet and the leather had cut into skin as he'd struggled.

Hunter had done this to someone he loved. He cared about Dustin so much that the thought of being without him hurt, yet he'd done this. How long before he did something even worse than this unspeakable crime?

He walked across to the bed and undid the belts. Dustin stirred slightly but didn't wake as Hunter lowered his arms to his side.

It wasn't safe to stay here. He couldn't control the rage that seemed to constantly burn inside him. The next time someone said something to make him angry he would lose control again he could do anything. Stopping using the dark powers hadn't changed the dark side of himself. He'd opened up a doorway when he'd used the first spell and he'd let inside a monster that closing the door wasn't going to get rid of. This wasn't an alien creature or some other thing he could find; this was himself.

He looked at Dustin for a long time, branding into his memory the sight of him sleeping, looking so peaceful despite everything that had happened.

Then Hunter walked down to the front door and stepped outside. In the earth around the house, there was the circle of symbols he'd drawn to prevent the others finding him. It seemed so easy now to just reach inside to tap into the Thunder powers and cause bright lightning that burned away the symbols, destroying the spell forever.

Then he transported himself away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've found Dustin," declared Cam. He'd returned to his computer the instant the monster had exploded.

"Never doubted you for a moment, genius," Shane said, running across to look over his shoulder as a map of Bluebay Harbour was displayed.

"It wasn't me," Cam said, "whatever was shielding has just vanished."

"Any sign of Hunter?" asked Blake. He was still sitting across the other side of the room, Tori finishing off tying a sling to prevent him putting any more strain on his shoulder.

"Sorry," said Cam. Tori finished the bandage and then nodded her readiness as Cam activated the teleportion system.

Cam, Tori and Shane arrived in a perfectly normal bedroom. Perfectly normal except for the naked figure lying in the bed with red lines around his wrists.

"Oh, Dustin," Shane breathed. What had happened here was painfully obvious. The fact that Dustin was clearly alive and healthy now didn't change the fact that Shane wanted to hit Hunter, hard and repeatedly. Dustin's face had obvious lines where tears had run and his wrists were evidence that this hadn't been his choice.

Tori was the first to cross the room to the bed and wake Dustin with a gentle touch the shoulder. He woke with a start, his first instinct to pull away. Then full consciousness returned and he saw a friend standing over him.

"It's OK, you're safe," Tori said.

Dustin looked round and saw the others and clearly knew that they knew. He started to shake with suppressed sobs and Tori reached out to hug him.

"You're safe," she said again.

Shane watched and wished he knew what he should say or do. There was nothing he could think of that would help in any way. He wanted to hurt Hunter so badly for doing this. He wanted to go over to the bed and join Tori in offering comfort. Most of all, his wanted to make this not have happened. Especially not to Dustin. Dustin was almost incapable of so much as saying a bad word about someone. He didn't deserve this.

No one deserved this. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen  
**  
Dustin let himself into his home. Just over a month had passed since he'd last seen Hunter. He'd surprised himself by finding he missed the Crimson Ranger. Despite the warring parts of him that were glad Hunter was gone or worried he'd show up again in his enraged state, there was a large part of him that just missed the companionship. He'd go to the track and half-expect to see Hunter there and there was always a slight feeling of disappointment when he didn't.

He still scared by the thought of the angry young man, overwhelmed by dark powers, but he missed the guy who'd been his friend before that. Dr Ramone said that it was fairly frequent to have ambivalent feelings in cases like his, but she didn't know the whole truth about his case. He couldn't tell her why Hunter had suddenly changed or that it wasn't really his fault. He wasn't able to tell her that it was because of him that Hunter was even like this now.

"Dustin, come here a minute," called his dad from the living room. That was odd.

He went through and saw his dad sitting in the armchair in front of the TV as usual.

"I got an invoice in the mail," he said, "What's about, Dustin?"

He held out a piece of paper which Dustin took. It was the bill for his sessions with Dr Ramone. He'd specifically told them to address the bills to him!

"It's nothing, Dad," Dustin said, "I'll sort this out."

"Counselling? What the hell would you want with counselling? You're a perfectly sane kid..."

"How would you know?" Dustin demanded. It was the closest he'd come to yelling at his dad in a long time. "You don't even notice I'm alive half the time!"

"I know you don't need some quack probing your past."

"I got raped!" Dustin hadn't intended to say it, but the words came out. It was almost worth it for the stunned reaction on his dad's face as he tried to process what Dustin had just said. At last, he was aware his son existed.

"What?" he managed to ask eventually.

"A friend tied me to a bed and raped me," Dustin said. "So, yeah, I'm getting professional help dealing with it."

"Who the hell was it? I'll kill the bastard."

"You'll have to join the back of a long line," said Dustin, surprised at his dad's reaction and slightly pleased about it. He hadn't really thought his dad would care this much what happened to him.

"Are you alright?"

"I guess. I should be."

"Don't worry about the bill, Dust, I'll sort it."

"Thanks."

Dustin headed up to his bedroom. That had probably been the closest they'd come to a caring family discussion in half a decade. His dad offering to pay was just an easy way of him getting out of having to demonstrate affection, but at least it showed he cared somewhat. That had to be worth something.

He opened his bedroom door, stopping motionless as he saw that there was someone already there. He almost stopped breathing as he saw who it was.

"Hi," said Hunter, almost sheepishly.

Dustin said nothing. He wasn't quite sure how to react to the guy who'd attacked and raped him turning up in his bedroom. At least Hunter didn't appear to be in any way angry. He looked sad and was keeping steady eye contact with Dustin's trainers.

"How've you been?" Hunter asked eventually.

"I've been better," Dustin said. He wondered if he should shut the door so his dad didn't overhear, but he rather wanted it there as an escape route if Hunter should lose it again.

"I'm sorry."

Dustin was furious. He couldn't believe that Hunter would come here and just apologise as though he thought that would make it all better. But Dustin said nothing. Anything he said might set Hunter off again and he wasn't sure he could deal with that super-human strength he'd apparently gained from the dark powers.

"Why did you come here?" Dustin asked, managing to keep his voice calm despite the conflicting emotions racing through him. There was still a part of him that wanted to go over there and hug Hunter, he was so relieved to see him well and apparently normal. But the rest of him was still battling between fear and rage. Some instinct was telling him to run, to just get as far away as possible while he still could. But the guy standing in front of him looked so much like Hunter as he used to be, sullen and brooding, but in no way a threat.

"I felt I owed it to you to apologise to you to your face," Hunter said, "I get it if you don't ever want to see me again, but I had to let you know that I'm in control now. I'm not going to hurt you again."

Dustin wasn't sure what to say. He wished he could believe it was true, but he kept remembering the abruptness with which Hunter would switch between himself and a thing of rage and pain. He hoped desperately that Hunter was right, but he couldn't get rid of the fear that the past would repeat itself if he let himself get close to Hunter. Better to stay away. Better not to care than to suffer the pain of such a betrayal.

So he just stood there and watched as Hunter ninja-streaked out the open window.

At least he hadn't used the smoke-transportation spell thing that he'd learned from the book.

Dustin sank onto the bed, shaking with the sudden release of tension he'd barely been aware of. Too much was going through his mind for him to even be sure of his own thoughts. He sat there, put his head in his hands and tried to calm down. He just felt that there was so much going through him that he would burst if he kept feeling so much.

His eyes pricked with tears. Hunter had seemed so genuinely remorseful. Could he really be back to who he was?  



	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Blake let himself into the apartment like usual, heading for the kitchen to get himself a drink. Then he heard the noise. It wasn't much, just a faint sign of movement, but it was coming from inside the apartment. He followed the sound and ended up at the door to Hunter's bedroom, looking in at where Hunter was sorting his belongings into piles on the bed.

Blake wasn't sure whether he wanted to hug his brother or hit him. He settled for tapping lightly on the door to let Hunter know he was there.

"Um... hi," said Hunter, standing awkwardly with a pile of t-shirts in his arms.

"Hi," Blake said. "How are you?"

"I'm... I'm good. I'm myself again. What happened... is never going to happen again."

Hunter didn't lie. He might have his faults, but he'd never told a lie to Blake, at least not since they were so little that it didn't count. But there was always a chance that the evil had taken him over completely, in which case everything he knew about Hunter was wrong. Blake looked at him. He didn't look evil. He looked the same as always, though perhaps a little thinner and with tired shadows under his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, nodding at the piles on the bed.

"Packing," Hunter said.

"You disappear for a month and now you return only to go again?" Blake wished he could say that it was unbelievable, but Hunter going off on his own to brood was normal behaviour. He didn't usually run away from home to do it, but this wasn't exactly a normal sulk.

"I'm going to be taking a cell phone so you can keep in touch. I figure you'll want to give my morpher to someone else."

"Did you even think to ask?"

Hunter blinked in surprise. Blake was a little surprised he'd said it too. Besides, Hunter was probably right; the other guys were unlikely to trust him now. But it still hurt that Hunter would make a decision like that without even asking him.

"You want me to stay?" Hunter asked.

"You're my brother! Of course I want you to stay."

"I... I don't know if I can. I don't know if the others will want me around. I don't know if I want to be around. I've got the evil out of me, but I've still got to deal with what I did and that's not going to be easy."

"Then deal with it here and I'll help you. You don't always have to face your problems alone." Blake really didn't believe that would convince Hunter. He never listened about accepting help from others. But Blake knew how close he'd come to losing his brother, not to death but to something much worse, and he wasn't just going to let Hunter walk away from this.

Hunter didn't say anything, but he didn't continue to sort out his belongings either. Blake guessed he was still deciding.

"Where did you go?" Blake asked.

Hunter sat down on the bed.

"I went to the Mountain of Lost Ninjas."

**One Month Earlier**

Hunter was walking through the woods with only a vague idea of a direction and no real destination in mind. Getting away mattered more than getting anyway in particular. His home and his friends were a long way behind him, but were they really far enough? He wanted to get so far from them that he'd never be able to find his way back, no matter what happened to him.

So he strode through the trees. He didn't have any food or supplies. He didn't even have a change of clothes. If he died of cold or hunger out here, maybe that would be for the best. There was no chance then of hurting Dustin again.

The grief at what he'd done didn't cause any tears, it just caused him to increase the pace at which he walked. The further he got, the safer Dustin would be. It was better this way. It was better if he never laid eyes on Dustin's sweet smile again.

If Dustin ever could smile after this.

"You don't belong here."

Hunter turned to the voice, moving instinctively into a fighting position. But instead of an enemy, there stood among the trees an old man in grey robes, leaning on a walking stick that was no more than a rough branch.

"What makes you say that?" Hunter asked.

"You're not lost. Not yet."

"What do you mean?"

"If you were truly lost, you wouldn't be here."

OK, so this guy was some weird old man with dementia or something. Hunter thought that the best thing to do would be just to walk away at a pace the old guy couldn't keep up with. Better than waiting around until he was annoyed enough that his dark side showed through.

"Let me guess," the old man said, "you want to get away to protect your loved ones? You hurt someone. Family? Friend? No, a girlfriend. I'm right, aren't I?"

"No."

Hunter turned and started to walk away, but the old man wasn't going to be ignored that easily. He called after Hunter:

"The dark powers don't rule you yet or you wouldn't be trying to get away."

Hunter stopped. Slowly, he turned round.

"How do you know?"

"I see the dark power all over you, boy, but if you'd given in to it, you'd be trying to get power or wealth or hurting others just because you could. If you're here, that means you're trying to protect the ones you've left behind. That means you're fighting it."

"And losing."

"The dark powers are devious. They don't want to let you go once they've got a hold of you. You drive them out a little and they grow back." Hunter remembered what Dustin had said about the letter he'd used in his shielding spell.

"Then it's hopeless."

"Nothing's hopeless, boy. The evil just had to be destroyed completely, all in one go. But it's not going to be easy." 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"So who was the old guy?" Blake asked. He was sitting with Hunter in the kitchen, each of the brothers now with a mug of tea as Hunter told his story.

"I still don't know. He never told me his name and whenever I asked about himself he always changed the subject. The only thing he did say was that he was there as penance."

"Penance?"

"When he talked about the dark powers, it definitely sounded like he was speaking from personal experience. I guess he used them once and did something terrible."

"So what happened next?"

"He had all sorts of purges to drive the power from me."

"Purges?" Blake sounded sceptical, "That doesn't sound pleasant."

"Believe me, it wasn't."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**  
One Month Earlier**

Hunter screamed as the light scorched through him again. He almost collapsed, his body falling slightly so his shoulder struck the edge of the cylinder that surrounded him. The shock of the new pain at that touch made him stand upright again.

He was trapped in a tube of shifting light, controlled by markings carved into the earth at his feet. The idea of inscribing symbols like that reminded him too much of the dark powers, although the writing was obviously very different. Still, he couldn't help but think of the shields he'd created as the old man's spell held him in the confined space.

"Please, just let me rest a bit," Hunter begged.

"If we stop now, all that we've done will be undone. If I end this spell now, the darkness will return and the next attempt to remove it will be even harder."

The old man was standing between the trees nearby, watching Hunter struggle as powers collided inside him. He held in his hand a long staff that Hunter now knew him to be an expert at wielding as a weapon. He still had the bruises from when he'd succumbed to the darkness and attacked the man in his anger. Now he was using it to control the spell. He lifted the staff and brought it down again sharply. As the wood met earth, a light rose from the ground beneath his feet, rushing up the tube. As it moved through Hunter, he felt it burning at his insides, touching him to the core, where the darkness still remained.

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"You went through that for an entire month?" Blake knew he sounded astonished. He felt astonished. He knew his brother was tough, but to go through that torture for so long and come home mostly OK?

"It wasn't all month," Hunter said. "That was for the first couple of days. Then I drank some weird potion he made. I don't remember much that happened for a day or so after that. I think I slept and I have some really messed up dreams. From what the old man said, I was fighting the darkness in my subconscious. All I know is, I woke up after sleeping for more than a day feeling that I need to go back to bed for another month." Hunter gave a little smile at his joke and Blake managed to return it.

He was almost glad now that he hadn't known what Hunter was going through. As much as he'd worried and imagined all sorts of terrible fates, Blake knew that if he'd known the truth, he wouldn't have been able to bear letting it happen. He would have tried to help Hunter by easing his suffering, but it sounded like that was the last thing that would have helped.

"So, he put you in a magical light tube and then made you fight your subconscious? That still leaves a few weeks that you were away."

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**Three Weeks Earlier**

"I tried all this calming meditation stuff before I came here," Hunter said, seated on the floor in front of a candle he was supposed to be focussing on, "It didn't work."

"You have made great steps towards driving the evil from your spirit," said the old man, "but there is one stage left. You must bring the two sides of your together so that you can become again a union."

"Can't you just give me another potion or something?"

"No. This stage of the battle must be entirely your own. Find your point of calm, search inside yourself and the two halves of your being will face each other."

"The good and the evil, right? Why do I want to bring them together? Aren't we trying to get rid of the evil?"

"There is evil in good and good in evil. You must accept the darkness in yourself and control it. Otherwise, you will be constantly fighting and that is a battle your soul cannot afford to lose."

Hunter turned his attention back to the candle, studying the flame, letting his thoughts dwell on that until he could centre himself.

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"You meditated?"

"That was the hardest part. I sat still and meditated and tried to bring my halves together."

"That's what took the rest of the month?"

"Most of it. I spent more than a week sitting there, all day every day, trying to find my calm centre."

"But you did it in the end?"

Hunter stared at the table and took a long drink of his tea before he answered. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Two days earlier**

Hunter reached a point inside his mind and opened his inner eyes. He stood somewhere that looked a bit like Ninjops, but it was missing the computer, the guinea pig and the other people. Hunter just stood in the empty room, looking across at himself.

"So you're the other part of me," said Hunter.

"I'm the part of you that loves to be a Ranger because of the thrill of the fight and the sight of enemy falling. I'm the part of you that delights in every victory at the track, especially if it proves your superiority to your brother or your friends. I'm the part of you that wants Dustin so badly that it burns."

"I'm not like that. Not with Dustin. I love him."

The other figure gave a short, humourless laugh. His face might look exactly like Hunter's, but there was a harshness on it that was unfamiliar. He looked at Hunter with a distain on his features.

"You think you love him? Do you want him to be happy, no matter what it might mean for yourself?"

"Yes."

His dark side laughed again. "So why does it kill you inside every time he looks at a girl and smiles? You can't stand the thought that he might be happy with anyone in the world but you."

"No. It's not like that. I want him happy and safe. I'd do anything to keep him safe."

"Even risk dark powers? You wanted to be the hero. You wanted him to swoon and fall into your arms like some helpless heroine in a romance novel. Don't try and pretend that you were being selfless. You wanted him to see you as his saviour because you thought that that might be enough to make him love you back."

"It doesn't matter if he loves me or not. I'd protect him anyway."

"You hurt him more than any of Lothor's monsters ever managed to. That's not love; that's lust. Lust and jealousy. You wanted him to be yours and you wanted everyone to know it. You were like a dog marking its territory. 'This one is mine and you can't have him.'"

Hunter shook his head, not looking at the other figure, not daring to see the evil that was a part of him. "No. That was the dark powers."

"That was you." The other figure was crossing the room to stand in front of Hunter. "He rejected you and you wanted to take him back." Hunter shook his head in denial, but the other figure hadn't finished speaking. "You wanted to own him completely, no matter the cost."

"I'm not like that," Hunter said, despite the words which struck far too close to the mark, "I would never want to hurt Dustin."

"But you're not denying you want him to be yours."

How could he deny it? Here, facing himself in the quietness of his own mind, Hunter had to admit the truth. He wanted Dustin. A little smile or laugh from the other boy could drive all thoughts from Hunter's mind except for the burning desire. He wanted Dustin to want him back. He wanted Dustin to be his.

"I don't want to force him," Hunter said, "I've never wanted to force him. I want him to be with me because he wants to be."

"But if he would never want you, no matter what, wouldn't you still want him to be with you anyway."

Hunter didn't answer at once. It wasn't because he didn't know the answer; the truth was so obvious that he couldn't help but know it. He just didn't want to have to admit to it.

"Yes," he said at last, "I would want him anyway." Then he looked straight into the eyes of the other him, "But that doesn't mean I'd actually make him."

His dark side smiled. Then he slowly faded. Hunter was left alone in the room his thoughts had created for this confrontation.

He'd seen the evil that lay inside of him. He knew that he had a dark side that thrived of violence and victory and that would want Dustin no matter what might happen. He'd admitted to his own desires and accepted them. It didn't mean he was evil. It didn't mean he'd ever act on those dark thoughts.

But he knew they were there.

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"So, what happens now?" asked Blake.

"I don't know," Hunter replied. "I've spoken to Dustin and apologised, but it's pretty obvious he doesn't want me around. I doubt the others will either. I can't really blame them."

"You've got to try though."

Hunter didn't reply immediately.

"I'm not even sure I want to stay," he said at last, "He... I... my dark side was right that I'll want Dustin, even if it's impossible. If I stay here, I'll see him every day and know that I can never be with him. That will kill me."

"So you'll just give up?"

"He didn't want to be with me. Even before I..." Hunter couldn't quite say the words. Even knowing that his brother must knowing, he couldn't actually admit to what he'd done.

Blake thought for a moment about what to say. He didn't want to give false hope, but he also didn't want his brother walking away in despair, probably never to return.

"Hunter, we were watching with Cam's satellite surveillance when Dustin went to find you in the woods. I saw that kiss. It didn't look to me like he was just pretending."

Hunter had a moment of thoughtfulness. Then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyway. There's no chance he'd even consider being with me now."

"Don't give up so quickly," Blake said, "Stay a few days. Give Dustin the chance to get used to the idea of you being around again. What will happen will happen. You don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering what might have happened if you'd stayed."

Hunter managed a small smile, "I thought I was supposed to be the older and wiser one."

"Well, maybe older."

The brief moment of humour passed and Hunter looked serious again.

"This means I've got to face Shane, Tori and Cam, doesn't it?" 


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

The stinging slap caught Hunter slightly by surprise. Not because he'd been hit, but because of the person who'd done it. Kelly was standing in front of him and glaring like she thought she could turn Hunter to dust using nothing but the anger pouring from her eyes.

"I don't care if you're a superhero," said Kelly, "No amount of good you've done can ever make up for hurting Dustin like that."

Hunter nodded. He wasn't sure how to start explaining himself. He wasn't sure how much Kelly knew. She knew now that he was a Ranger, but did she know about Dustin? Did she know about the ninja academies? Could he tell her about using the book of dark powers without giving away more secrets?

"Kelly, it wasn't really his fault," began Blake, but Kelly wasn't listening.

"You are banned from Storm Chargers," she went on, "And the next time I'm being attacked, I'd rather fight it off myself than have someone like you come to my rescue."

"Ok," said Hunter. He started to walk out of the shop, despite Blake's protests that he should try to explain himself.

He turned back when he reached the door, "Any idea where I can find Shane and Tori? I expect they'll want to hit me too."

A minute later, he and Blake were walking away from Storm Chargers.

"So, where first?" Hunter mused, "The beach or the skate park?"

"The skate park," Blake suggested, "Tori hits harder than Shane."

Sure enough, Shane's first reaction on seeing Hunter was a punch that sent him sprawling.

"You bastard, I ought to break your neck!" It was only Blake stepping between them that stopped Shane acting on that sentiment. Shane glared at Blake, "Get out of my way!"

"Just hear him out first," Blake said.

"Then can I kill him?"

Hunter stood, dusting himself off. He wasn't sure quite what to say. He couldn't lie and pretend that it hadn't been him acting, because he knew better than ever now that it had been a part of himself.

"I came back to apologise," Hunter said, "I'm in control of myself again; the evil power is completely gone, but I can't ask you to forget what's happened. I've spoken to Dustin and apologised to him, but I know no amount of words can make up for what I've done. If he wants to hurt me or wants me to leave and never come back, then I'll respect that. But if there's any way I can make amends, I will do it."

"Amends? You think you anything can make up for what you did? You think you can just come back here and say you're sorry and everything will be alright?"

Shane shoved past Blake and grabbed hold of the front of Hunter's t-shirt, glaring him from a distance of mere inches. Hunter could see Blake hesitating, not sure whether to pry them apart or to let Hunter handle this.

"I should kill you," Shane said, "but any way I can think of would be too quick. There's nothing bad enough to be justice for raping someone who trusted you, who was your friend."

"I know," Hunter said, and he heard his voice shaking with tears. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried. Not since Mum and Dad had died anyway. But hearing Blake confront him with the horrific truth, even Hunter couldn't hold back the pain.

Shane's grip loosened slightly. He didn't let go, but the sight of the tears escaping from Hunter's eyes must have shocked him.

"I know what I've done is unforgivable. I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life. I'll have to wake up every morning and know that I raped someone I love."

Shane stared at him, then he let go of his hold on Hunter's t-shirt. Instead, he shoved Hunter backwards hard enough to nearly make him fall again. Then Shane just walked away.

"Well," said Blake, "that could have been worse. Shall we go find Tori?"

Tori didn't bother with the subtlety of a punch. She gave a little "hmph" of satisfaction as she left Hunter on the ground, clutching at his groin in agony. She didn't wait around to see if he had anything to say.

"So," said Blake, crouching beside his brother, "shall we see what Cam's reaction is?"

"Let's wait a bit," Hunter managed.

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Dustin walked into Ninjops.

Cam was sitting at the computer as usual. Sensei wasn't in sight.

"Hi," Dustin said.

"Are you alright?" Cam asked, instantly seeing that there was something wrong from Dustin's expression.

"I don't know," Dustin answered honestly, "Is Sensei around?"

"He's doing some meditation up in the mountains. I can call him back if you want."

Dustin thought about it for a moment, but he knew Sensei didn't leave Ninjops often and shouldn't be called back just because Dustin wasn't quite sure what to think about things. He could wait a little bit for Sensei to finish contacting his inner guinea pig or whatever it was he was trying to do.

"No, I'll just wait 'til he's done."

"If you had to think about it that long, I think I should call him."

"No, I'm alright."

"What happened, Dustin?"

"Hunter's back."

Cam was on his feet in an instant, "Where?" He looked like he might be running off to challenge Hunter in a fight for Dustin's honour or something like that.

"I don't know where he is now. He turned up at my house to apologise and say that he was himself again."

"You believe him?"

"I don't know. I don't know what I think. I don't know what I feel. He says he'll leave forever if I want him to, but I don't even know if I want that."

His mind was full of so many conflicting thoughts that he couldn't get them sorted. He spent most of his time wishing that all this hadn't happened. There was very little room left his in mind for thoughts on how to deal with it since it clearly had happened. He wasn't sure if he wanted Hunter to go. He'd missed him over the past month and would probably continue to miss him. But he'd been scared to even be in the same room as him. Would that ever go away?

Would he ever be able to look at Hunter without thinking about the pain and the sense of helplessness?

"Cam, I don't know what to do." 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Dustin was trying to explain his muddled feelings in words. Cam listened patiently, as Dustin wavered and meandered through his thoughts, trying to sum up the conflicted emotions he felt towards Hunter. In many ways, this was easier than his therapy sessions, since he didn't have to worry about keeping large portions of the story hidden.

"So, you still like him?" Cam asked.

"Yes. No. I mean, I still like the person I thought he was. I miss my friend."

"And now you're wondering whether he's really that person again?"

"And if he ever was that person. He told me he'd always liked me. I don't mean liked me, I mean... liked me. If he's been lying to me since we met, how can I even be sure I know him?"

"I don't know," Cam said, "but I think I'm not the person you need to be asking these questions."

"You think I should talk to Hunter?"

"I don't think you're going to get anything resolved until you do."

Dustin didn't seem surprised by Cam's response, but he also didn't seem at all thrilled by the idea.

"I can come with you if you like," suggested Cam, "You don't have to be alone with him if you don't want to."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

There was the sound of running footsteps and Tori burst in through the door, already talking.

"Sensei, Cam, Hunter's ba..." She broke off when she saw Dustin. "Oh."

"I already know," Dustin said, "He came to see me first."

"Oh, Dustin." Tori crossed the room to hug him. His friends seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. No one could think of anything really useful or supportive to say, so Dustin just got a lot of hugs. He appreciated it. It meant he knew that they were all still here for him. A part of him had been scared that they'd be sickened by what had been done to him and that they wouldn't want to be near him. Yet here they were still, holding him when they thought he needed it.

"Did he do anything to you?" Tori asked.

Dustin shook his head, "Just apologised and said he was in control again."

"What did he say to you?" Cam asked.

"He didn't really say anything," Tori replied, "Just sort of screamed. I hit him where it hurts."

Dustin managed a weak smile at that. He guessed that proved Hunter really had gained control over the darkness, or Tori wouldn't still be standing there. Besides, it was kind of nice the way his friends wanted to avenge his suffering.

"I should probably talk to Hunter," Dustin said, "before Shane kills him."

He stood, the others standing too. He was grateful to them. He'd been so scared when he'd seen Hunter last time, he wasn't sure he could hold together on his own. Knowing he had the others there to back him up, either emotionally or physically, made this easier.

But still not easy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hunter was back in the apartment. The temptation just to run was back. It was pretty obvious that Shane and Tori would both be happy if the ground opened up and swallowed him. It wasn't like Dustin was ever going to want him around.

He should just leave. He was back in his room, staring at the ordered piles sorted into things he'd need and things it would be nice to have. He reached under his bed and pulled out a backpack, starting to fill the bottom with underwear and t-shirts. He wasn't sure where he'd go, so he wasn't entirely certain what he'd need.

He'd probably head to another town and survive on his savings until he could find somewhere to offer him a job. Not that he could expect to get much of a recommendation from Kelly. He'd have to find somewhere to live, though he could probably cope in a motel for a week or two. He'd wait until he found somewhere permanent and then ask Blake to send the rest of his stuff.

But he could at least have it ready. He opened his drawers, planning on making sure all his belongings were neatly packed so that it would be easy to Blake to send them down to him.

The top drawer of his desk held a load of junk that didn't really belong anywhere else. But sitting on top of the mess was a photograph. It had been taken only a few weeks before this began, when the group had taken a trip to the amusement park. They'd gotten a Japanese tourist to take the picture of the whole group in front of the rollercoaster. They smiled out at him from the image, Tori and Shane without a single trace of hate or anger on their features. Cam and Blake, happy and laughing. And there was he, at the back of the group, with one arm flung round Dustin's shoulders as they'd smiled towards the camera.

There'd been so happy so recently.

It was hard to believe that it was all over. Hunter stared at the photograph for some time, then went to tuck it into the front pocket of his backpack.

His bedroom door opened and he looked round, expecting to see Blake there. Instead, Dustin was staring at him, Cam and Tori in the hall behind him.

"You're leaving," Dustin said.

"It didn't seem like I was welcome here any more," Hunter replied. "Was I wrong?" 


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"I don't know what I want," said Dustin. "I don't know what I think or what I feel. I'm just too confused right now about what's happening in my head. But I missed you."

Hunter looked up at that. He'd been staring at his half-packed belongings. Now his head snapped up and he looked Dustin in the eye.

"I've missed you too," Hunter said, "I don't want to leave. Not really. But things aren't just going to go back to how they were before."

"No, they're not," agreed Dustin.

There was a short silence as both thought about what to say. Dustin was standing just inside Hunter's bedroom door. Hunter was still waiting by the bed, not wanting to get any closer to Dustin in case Dustin took it the wrong way. A few feet behind Dustin, out in the hall, Tori and Cam waited awkwardly, not sure if they should speak or just let the others pretend they weren't there.

"I can't forget what happened," said Dustin, "and I'm ready to move past it yet. But I don't know that I want you to go. You were a good friend before... all this. I've not forgotten that either."

"So, do you want me to stay?"

"I don't know. Give me time to think about it. Don't go running off straight away."

"OK."

It felt strange that one word from Dustin would determine Hunter's future. He wished it wasn't like that. If Hunter just made up his mind, Dustin would work out how to cope with whichever choice he made. He wasn't sure he wanted to be the one who had the final say in whether Hunter stayed in Bluebay Harbour or not. He saw the figure across from him now, nervous and awkward, so different from the quiet, confident Hunter he'd known. Well, the quiet seemed to have stayed a common factor.

It seemed Hunter really was trying to make things right, but he didn't know how to any more than Dustin did.

Dustin walked from the bedroom, Tori falling into step beside him, a comforting hand on his arm. They let themselves out of the apartment.

As soon as they were outside, Dustin started shaking. He realised how nervous he'd been until he was away from Hunter again. He might be able to logically accept that Hunter wasn't going to hurt him now, but some part of his subconscious didn't quite believe it. He leaned against a wall, letting the tension flow away, feeling Tori's hand on his arm as he tried to get himself under control again. Was there even a point to trying to be friends with Hunter again, if this was how he'd react to just five minutes in the same room as him?

Dustin stood straight again, the shaking past.

"Where's Cam?" he realised suddenly.

"I think he wanted to stay and talk to Hunter," Tori answered.

Dustin glanced back at the apartment door. He knew what Tori had done and wondered if maybe he ought to go back in, just make sure Cam wasn't about to kill Hunter.

"I'm sure he just wants to talk," Tori said, presumably guessing Dustin's thoughts. "If you'd even hinted that you'd wanted Hunter to pay, it would be another matter." She looked almost hopeful as she said, as though she wanted an excuse to go back and hit Hunter again. But Dustin just shook his head and started to walk away.

This wasn't going to be easy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cam watched Tori and Dustin leave, but he stayed waiting by Hunter's bedroom door. Hunter noticed him standing there.

"Do you want to hit me as well?" he asked.

Cam was tempted, but Dutsin had managed a civilised conversation with Hunter, it was the least Cam could do to attempt the same.

"I just want you to answer a question with complete honesty." Hunter looked mildly surprised, but nodded. "Do you love Dustin?"

Hunter didn't answer immediately. He walked over to the window and stared out. Cam wondered if maybe he could see Dustin outside but didn't go over to look. Instead, he waited as patiently as he could for Hunter to answer. Hunter stared at the window for a few moments. Then he leaned his forehead against the glass. Cam could see from the reflection that his eyes were closed.

"Yes," Hunter said, his voice straining with suppressed tears, "Yes, I love him."

"So what are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" Hunter spun round angrily, but the anger was entirely his own, a defence against the pain, "He's straight. He admitted that he didn't want to be with me, even before I. before I raped him. He's certainly not going to want to be with me now."

Cam saw the pain there. He saw the absolute certainty in Hunter's face, the other boy resigned to a life of misery because the object of his affections didn't even know if he wanted to be friends. Cam's anger towards Hunter had faded enough now that the pity was making itself known.

"You need to tell him the truth," Cam said.

"What good would that do? You saw him; he's scared to be near me as it is. Do you really think that will go away if I admit that I still want him? It'll make everything worse!"

"You admitted feelings for him. You can't go back to hiding now. You, both of you, have been through hell. You can't expect to rebuild a relationship of any sort with him if the foundations are based on secrets. Dustin is scared about whether or not to trust you. If you keep hiding things from him, he's going to sense it and he's never going to open up to you again. If you're to have any chance of making things right, you have to be absolutely honest with him."

"Easy for you to say," Hunter muttered.

"No one ever said penance would be easy. You've faced yourself with what you've done. Now you have to face Dustin."

Hunter stared at him for long while, a serious thoughtfulness on his face. Then, suddenly, a small smile crept onto his features.

"What?" Cam asked.

"I just realised how much you sound like your dad right now."

Cam smiled at that, taking it as a complement. He wasn't often told he was like his dad, aside from a few people who said he fought like him, but that was only to be expected. It was nice, given that his father was known for his wisdom, to be compared to him.

"So, are you going to listen to my advice," Cam asked, "or should we go get Dad to give it to you again?"

"I'll try," Hunter said, the moment of amusement fading back to seriousness.

Cam nodded. He guessed that was the best he could expect. 


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

Dustin walked into Storm Chargers to help with opening up. Kelly saw him and immediately made her way over to him, looking slightly nervous.

"Hi, Dustin," she said and then hesitated over how to continued. Dustin could guess what this was about.

"I know Hunter's back."

"You saw him?" Dustin nodded, "Want me to hit him again?"

"No, I think he'll remember Tori's hit for a while."

"I guess I'm not the only one who wants to make the bastard pay."

"It's not really Hunter's fault," Dustin said. He'd not really talked about it with Kelly. She now knew about Hunter being a Ranger and could probably guess about him, Shane and Tori, but he wasn't sure how much she knew of what Hunter had done. That Hunter had kidnapped him, she'd witnessed, but Dustin wasn't sure if the other guys had told her the rest of what had happened.

"What then?" Kelly asked, "Was he under alien mind-control or something?"

She sounded dismissive, but Dustin just said, "Kinda."

Kelly led him to the seats at the back of the shop, sitting beside him and waiting to hear the whole story. Dustin told her as best he could, mentioning the evil ninja spirit and how Hunter had saved him and saying how Hunter had started losing control to the darkness. He didn't go into much detail, but she could probably guess a lot of what he'd left out. It felt weird to be talking about it like this. He hadn't been able to give the whole story in his therapy sessions and the other guys knew most of it, so he hadn't had to explain to them. Telling Kelly helped get things sorted in his own mind.

It was easier to admit that this wasn't really Hunter's doing.

"He really saved your soul?" Kelly asked when Dustin had finished.

Dustin nodded, "And nearly died giving me his strength so I could fight Dagrimar." Putting it like this, he wondered if maybe he was being too hard on Hunter. Despite everything bad that had happened, this had all begun because Hunter was willing to risk everything for his sake. The rape hadn't been the real Hunter. The guy holding his hand and soothing him through the battle was the guy he'd known.

Tears pricked Dustin's eyes.

"I want the old Hunter back," he said, "but I can't even look at him without getting scared. I can't forget what he did when he... wasn't himself."

"My mum always said we should face our fears. If something scared you, walk up to it and look it in the eye and you might find that it's not so scary."

She was right. Dustin would never know if he could ever think of Hunter as a friend again if he didn't try and spend time with him.

"How about," said Kelly, "I call Shane and ask him to cover your shift while you go find Hunter and try to deal with your fears."

"Thanks, Kelly."

"No problem. Just call me if something goes wrong, OK?"

"OK."

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Dustin found Hunter on the path above the beach. There was a row of benches that afforded a good view of the ocean but it was a long climb up the cliff path to reach this point, so it was usually quiet. It was a great place to think, which was something both of them had been doing a lot recently.

Hunter looked up as Dustin approached and Dustin forced himself to keep his step from faltering. He kept walking, hoping Hunter would assume his slow pace was just because off the long uphill stretch he'd just walked.

"Hi," he said when he got to Hunter.

"Hi," Hunter replied. "I... um... I've been thinking about coming to find you. There's something I need to say."

"There is?" Dustin hoped he didn't sound too worried. Was this Hunter deciding he was leaving for good? As the thought entered his mind, he knew he didn't want that. He never had.

Whatever it was Hunter had to say, he seemed to be taking a while to say it. He sat staring at the sea, not even looking at Dustin. Dustin almost wondered if Hunter had forgotten that he was meant to be talking.

"I... um... What I mean is... Dustin, the things I did to you, when I was under the influence of the dark power, they were things I would never do normally. But the reasons I did them, the... the desires behind them... They were real."

"What do you mean?" Dustin was already beginning to wonder. He'd been wondering for the past month, thinking back on all the things Hunter had said, on the kiss in the woods.

"When I was... evil, I wanted you so badly. But it was only because I want to be with you when I'm myself."

Dustin could see where this was going, but he still wasn't sure what he thought of it. He'd spent the last month wondering how he felt about everything. Now that it came to it, he was no closer to knowing.

"What I'm trying to say," Hunter went is, "is that..." He trailed off. Then he turned to Dustin and screwed up his courage:

"Dustin, I love you."

Dustin managed to face Hunter. He forced himself confront his fears. And he looked Hunter in the eye for the first time since this had happened.

His fears melted away under that gaze.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two  
**  
He'd said it. Hunter could hardly believe he'd managed to get the words out. Yet he had, and now he was waiting for Dustin's reaction. Dustin hadn't immediately hit him or run away screaming, which was something at least. But he was just sitting there, not making any moves to return the declaration of love. He just looked at Hunter looking back at him.

"I'm sorry, Hunter," Dustin said and the apology came like a knife in Hunter's gut. Hunter almost wanted to turn and run, so he didn't have to face the heartbreak that was sure to follow. But he sat there and waited for Dustin to shatter all his dreams.

"I don't know what I want," Dustin went on, "I definitely don't want you out of my life, but I don't think I can give you what you want." The words came softly and kindly, but every one of them was a nail in the coffin for Hunter's hopes.

"I understand," said Hunter. And he really did. That didn't stop this hurting like hell though.

Hunter stood. He walked over the railings and looked down at the beach. Below him were the tiny figures of sunbathers and swimmers, but he barely saw them. He looked out across the waves, across the endless blue. He stared at the distant horizon and wished that the distance would swallow him up.

"I'm not sure I can stay," Hunter said, "Before all this, it hurt to be with you but to know that I wasn't really _with_ you. That's just going to get worse, knowing that I can't even imagine or hope that we might be together one day."

"I'm sorry," Dustin said again.

"It's not your fault." Hunter turned back to Dustin and saw some of his sadness reflected in the other guy's face.

"I don't want you to go."

"I still think I should. I should get some distance and try to get over you. But that doesn't mean we'll never see each other. I'll still visit."

Dustin nodded, but said nothing. Hunter touched Dustin's arm, not daring to say or do anything more as a well, then he turned and walked down the cliff path. He'd gone several metres before he reached up to his eyes to brush away the moisture he hadn't dared let Dustin see.

It was over.

Right or wrong, he'd made his choice. He would never Bluebay Harbour. He'd leave the Rangers. He'd leave Dustin. He'd find himself a new life and maybe even find someone else to fall in love with.

He would come back one day. But not for a long time. Not until he could think of Dustin without the pain threatening to consume him.

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Hunter had his things packed. He had a backpack crammed full with everything could manage to fit in it. He hadn't said goodbye to Blake. He probably ought to, but he knew that if he did, his brother might convince him to change his mind again. Instead, he shoved his helmet firmly on his head and swung a leg over his bike. He didn't yet head for the main road out of town. There was somewhere he had to go first.

He drove through the woods, away from roads or paths. He wove his way through trees and undergrowth until he reached the pool and the waterfall. Leaving his bike and his belongings outside, Hunter walked across the water and through into Ninjops.

Sensei was in his little area, apparently watching TV. Cam was at the computer as usual. Hunter cleared his throat, already detaching the morpher from his wrist.

"Hi," he said, "I've come to say goodbye."

Cam stood up, "Yo, Hunter, man. You can't just be quitting on us."

Hunter blinked, "Oh, Cyber Cam. Where's real Cam?"

Before Cyber Cam could answer, Sensei spoke, "Are you certain that you are doing what is right for you?"

"I am. I can't stay here. Shane and Tori aren't going to trust me, and Dustin... I care about Dustin and I think what's happened will only continue to hurt both of us if I stay."

"I cannot stop you leaving. But a ninja must follow his heart. Are you certain yours is leading you away from here?"

"Looks to me like your heart's right here," said Cyber Cam, "or some part o'you is. You and D Man were smokin' out in the woods. Totally some hormone-driven hotness."

"One, never use that phrase again. And two, that was all an act."

"Then his trousers were doing some Oscar-winning acting," Cyber Cam continued. Hunter wanted to hit the annoying thing.

"Cam really needs to fix some bugs in your software," he said.

"I just think you and D Man should give it another go."

"You're a computer program! What the hell do you know about love?" Hunter flung his morpher at Cyber Cam's face and then walked out of Ninjops.

Stupid machine. It was completely wrong. Dustin had just been playing along in the woods to try and get him back here and healed. There wasn't a chance that he was really interested. Cyber Cam just wasn't human enough to know the difference between truth and pretend.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Ninjops, Sensei looked up at Cam, whose posture subtly altered once Hunter had left the room.

"What exactly are you doing, son?" Sensei asked.

"Right now, I'm trying to think of a plan C, since A and B have both failed miserably," Cam answered. "Would it count as misuse of the equipment if I wait until Hunter's in the shower and then teleport Dustin to join him?"

"Yes."

"Pity. That just might have been enough to convince them both Dustin's interested.


	23. Chapter 23

Kleenex alert! Depressing stuff ahead. You have been warned.

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Dustin sat and stared out at the ocean. He'd been coming up to the cliff top quite frequently lately, remembering that this had been the last place he'd seen Hunter. So Dustin sat here, watching the waves break on the beach and wondered where Hunter was now, wondered what he was doing, wondered if he was missing him.

Because Dustin missed Hunter.

He missed him so badly that it was like a solid ache inside him. He hadn't expected it to hurt this much. He'd thought that if Hunter decided to leave it would make things easier, because he wouldn't have to be reminded of the pain and the violation he had suffered.

Instead he remembered other things. He remembered countless shared moments, little jokes and fleeting laughter. He remembered the fights where Hunter had come to his aid and they'd fought side by side. He remembered the kiss in the woods.

He sat and watched the ocean and wondered if he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. And he'd made several.

It was quiet up here. The sounds of the people on the beach were muted to a distant murmur that formed a backdrop along with the constant sound of the waves. There were a few gulls in the distance. They didn't seem so much noise, as a highlight to the silence. Dustin ears heard the emptiness that would no longer be filled by Hunter's voice. He heard, over and over, their last conversation here. He heard Hunter's declaration of love.

One word from Dustin, one little hint that something might have been possible between them, and Hunter would still be here. He wouldn't have needed to promise anything, except a slim chance of hope. But he hadn't been able to give even that.

And now he might very well never see Hunter again.

Even if he did see Hunter, it wouldn't be the same, couldn't be the same.

And Dustin would have to live with that.

Dustin didn't notice someone approaching until they sat down in the seat beside him. He looked up, expecting Shane or Tori or one of his other friends. No. It was his dad.

"I came up here a lot," his dad said, "after I lost your mum. It's a good place to be alone with your thoughts."

"It was," Dustin muttered. He couldn't remember the last time his dad had mentioned Mum.

"It's not good to be alone too long, Dustin. You start living in those depressing thoughts and it's hard to even see that happiness even exists."

Dustin wasn't sure what to say. His dad had always seemed barely aware of Dustin's existence. Now he was here trying to talk feelings with him. He wasn't sure how to react to that, so he just sat and watched the ocean, waiting for the quiet distance to return because that at least he knew how to deal with.

"I lost your mum, Dusty. I don't want to lose you too."

"You lost me a long time ago, Dad." Dustin said in a barely audible whisper. He thought of a pill bottle. He thought of walking in to find his dad out cold on the kitchen floor. It would be forever branded into his memory as the moment he realised his dad didn't really love him. Not when he'd been willing to leave Dustin all on his own, just to be with Mum again.

Even though the ambulance had come and the doctors had pronounced he would be fine, Dustin still thought that most of his dad had died that day.

"Don't make the same mistakes as me, Dusty," his dad said, "You've still got a whole life to live. You've still got your friends. You've still got time to find your happiness again."

"Thanks, Dad," Dustin said. This was the first real moment of affection his dad had shown him in years. He was going to savour it, because it would probably be the last.

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Blake was polishing up his bike after a long session on the track. He'd spent hours out there, feeling the thrill of the speed, the excitement of the race. Yet he'd kept expecting to see crimson coming up from behind or matching him over the jumps. He expected his brother to be there to high-five him after a great run.

Instead there was nothing.

Blake crouched and scrubbed the mud from his bike until the metal gleamed. His arm was worn out, but still he polished at it because he didn't want to look round and see the empty spot where Hunter should have been, inspecting his own bike.

He could call Hunter. The phone number had been left, scribbled on a piece of paper on the kitchen table. And nothing else. Hunter's belongings had been neatly stacked in cardboard boxes, ready to be sent on at some later point.

Hunter really wasn't planning on coming back.

Blake wondered if he'd have gone with him if Hunter had asked. Not so long ago, there wouldn't have been a doubt in his mind. But since coming here, he'd found good friends, he'd found a purpose to his life and he'd found a new family with the people here. Blake wasn't sure which he would have chosen, which was probably why Hunter hadn't asked. He wasn't sure either, and he hadn't wanted to know if his brother would have chosen to leave him.

Blake wiped down his bike once more, though it was already gleaming, and let his thoughts dwell on his brother. For so many years, they'd done everything together. Now he couldn't even begin to guess when he'd next see him.

Hunter could be anywhere. He could be doing anything.

A chill shook Blake suddenly, coming from nowhere and bringing with it an absolute certainty that couldn't be explained. Something came through the bond of brotherhood that even Sensei Amino hadn't been able to understand fully.

Hunter was in danger. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Do you think Uncle would let me keep him as a pet?"

"You've got a pet."

"Yeah, but he's even cuter than the puppy. Do you think Uncle would let me?"

"Probably. Uncle's always giving you things. It's not fair."

"I can't help it if I'm the likeable one."

Hunter tried to say something intelligent and coherent, but what ended up coming out of his mouth sounded more like, "Hnugh."

"Aw, he's awake."

Hunter managed to open his eyes. His memories supplied the information to his muddled brain that the room he was in looked an awful lot like Lothor's ship. His suspicions were pretty much confirmed by the sight of Marah and Kappri standing in front of him. Hunter tried to move, discovered that he'd been chained up to the wall, which would explain the ache in his shoulders.

He tried to speak again. This time he actually managed to summon a word to his lips, "What?"

He felt like someone had hit him over the head with an office block or something. His head throbbed and pounded so much that there was no room for his thoughts. Even so, he was aware of the fact that he was a prisoner on Lothor's ship, with no morpher, no way for the Rangers to know where he was, and Marah and Kappri were discussing making him a pet. No matter how bad a headache he might have, he knew just how bad that situation was.

"Hello, Crimson Ranger," Marah smiled at him.

"'M not a Ranger," Hunter managed.

"Oh but that's not true," came the utterly unwelcome voice of Lothor, "If you don't give your powers on to someone else, they stay with you. Without your morpher, you can't access them, but it might still be possible for me to draw them out of you to use for myself. If not, you'll still make a wonderful hostage."

"I doubt it," Hunter said, "My friends hate me right now."

"Funny thing I've noticed about you good guys," said Lothor, "is that you don't normally let that stop you trying to save someone. Now, smile for the camera."

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Blake was pacing Ninjops frantically. Dustin was just sitting, staring into space, seemingly oblivious to what was going on around him. Tori and Shane waited impatiently as Cam worked at his computer.

"Is there anything more substantial you can tell us about your concerns?" Sensei asked Blake.

"They're not just concerns. I know he's in danger."

"But that's a great help in finding him," muttered Cam.

"It's got to be Lothor," said Shane. "There's no one else who would want to hurt Hunter."

"Besides," put in Tori, "if it was a normal human threat, I doubt Hunter would be in enough danger for Blake to notice anything." No one contradicted that. Hunter was a great fighter. If some idiot tried to mug him or anything, it wouldn't be Hunter who needed help.

"I'm getting a signal," said Cam.

"From Hunter?" Dustin asked, paying attention to the conversation for the first time in over an hour.

"Um... not exactly."

The face that appeared on the computer screen was definitely not Hunter's. Lothor smiled wickedly out at them.

"Hello, Rangers," he said. "You might have noticed that I've got something of yours." The camera shot spun round to reveal Hunter, arms stretched above him as he was chained to the wall. He was alive and looked mad as hell.

"Don't do anything he says," Hunter snarled.

"Aw. How touching," Lothor muttered sarcastically. "I want you to hand over your morphers in two hours, or you'll be recovering your friend in pieces."

The screen went blank.

For a long while, no one said anything. Then Dustin whispered, "This is all my fault."

"Don't say that," said Tori.

"But it is!" There were tears in Dustin's eyes. He only went away and left morpher because of me. He put himself in danger because I chose not to stop him leaving."

"We'll get him back," said Shane. "We've got two hours to come up with a plan to rescue him."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Say, Uncle," asked Marah, "why didn't you just tell them to hand over their morphers now?"

"Because, you stupid girl, this way they think they might be able to save their friend. There's no point having a trap if you don't convince people to walk into it."

"Oh."

Lothor starting to walk out of the room, the girls following.

"So, Uncle, when we're done with this, can I have him as a pet?"

"There won't be anything left of him to look after."

"Aw. What about the yellow one then?"

Hunter watched them leave, thinking over what had been said and desperately hoping that Dustin wouldn't try to save him. Better if Dustin hated him, than if he died in a foolish rescue attempt.  



	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The teleportation system wouldn't get them inside Lothor's ship, though Cyber Cam would stay working on that, just in case they needed a quick exit. They didn't have much of a plan. They could use the Dragonforce Vehicle to get onboard, but they had no real idea of how to get Hunter out.

Dustin sat in the vehicle as Cam piloted it towards the ship. He was barely able to keep a coherent thought together, he was so busy worrying about all the things that might happen to Hunter. This was all his fault. If Hunter died, it would be because Dustin hadn't let him stay in Bluebay Harbour. He'd spent the last few days missing Hunter terribly and wondering if he'd ever see him again. Now he knew just how much of a possibility that was.

He clutched Hunter's morpher in his hand. He just prayed desperately that Hunter would have the chance to use it again.

Cam guided them towards Lothor's ship and Dustin stared at the looming monstrosity that Hunter was inside somewhere. A part of him knew just how big a risk this was. They were putting all the Rangers in a place where Lothor had a good chance of capturing or killing them. But the rest of him didn't care.

This was Hunter. This was the guy who'd risked his very soul to save Dustin.

Dustin had had far too long to think about his life without Hunter in it. He knew that simply wasn't an option. They would find Hunter. They would rescue him. And then Dustin would convince him to stay.

"We're nearly there," Cam said. Sure enough, the ship was looking extremely large now.

"OK, guys," said Shane, "Let's do it."

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

Cam had already morphed when he took control of the Dragaonforce Vehicle. Now they were all ready.

"We'll get him back," Shane said. Dustin wasn't sure if that was meant to convince him, Blake or maybe even Shane himself. He just nodded and hoped that Shane was right.

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Hunter tugged at the chains that held him to the wall. He'd been doing this for a while now and so far all he'd managed to achieve were sore wrists. He just hated being stuck here, helpless. More than that, he hated the fact that Lothor was using him to try and get to the others.

He hoped that they wouldn't fall for it, but he knew that at least Blake would refuse to leave him here. He could be certain, because he knew that if their positions were reversed, he'd go through all kinds of hell to save Blake, no matter how stupid or dangerous it might be.

There would be a rescue attempt.

Hunter just had to hope that the Rangers would be smart enough to guess that they were walking into a trap. After all that had happened, he didn't think he could cope if any of them were hurt because of him. Especially not Dustin. If Dustin was killed because he'd come to save Hunter, he'd never forgive himself. Hunter closed his eyes and prayed to any deity that might be listening for Dustin to stay mad at him long enough to stay in Bluebay Harbour and stay safe.

The whole room suddenly shook. Hunter lost his footing and ended up dangling from his wrists for a few moments. The next shake was more violent, but Hunter was slightly prepared this time and managed to keep his balance. Was this the Rangers' doing?

He stood there for what felt like forever, listening out for any sounds of fighting, any sign of the Rangers. For a long time, there was nothing. No more shakes followed the first two. Just silence.

Hunter's heart was pounding and his thoughts raced with possibilities, good and bad.

Then a familiar, but somewhat unexpected figure, rushed into the room. The Red Ranger caught sight of Hunter and rushed over to free him.

"Shane?"

"You didn't think we were going to leave you here, did you?"

Hunter's hands came free and he rubbed at his sore wrists gratefully. Shane reached for his own wrist.

"Guys, I've got him. Fall back to the Dragonforce Vehicle."

Shane led the way at a run, Hunter following behind.

"You did realise this was a trap, right?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, but we weren't going to let Lothor kill you. You're still a Ranger."

Hunter almost faltered at those words. Shane, who had not too long ago actually threatened to kill Hunter himself, was now acknowledging that he was still a Ranger. That meant, as far as Shane was concerned, Hunter was still a part of the team. He couldn't quite believe it.

"Uh oh," muttered Shane, "I thought things were going too well."

There way was blocked by a large number of kelzaks and kelzak furies. Hunter glanced behind him, seeing the corridor they'd just come through filling with more of the same. And there was Zurgane with them.

Hunter wished he had something more useful on his wrist than bruises as he punched and kicked his way through the hoards of kelzaks. Shane was handling Zurgane on his own, but he couldn't take on Lothor's general and the kelzaks, which meant Hunter had half an army to deal with without any powers.

He struggled against the black and red creatures, surrounded by them on all sides and just trying hard not to get killed. If the Dragonforce Vehicle was here, they just had to reach it. They didn't have to actually defeat these creatures.

But even getting through would be difficult enough.

Hunter found himself grabbed by two of the furies. Hunter kicked a third to the ground, but he couldn't shake the two who held his arms. Their grips were tight enough that it felt like he might get torn in half.

Then a blast of laser fire knocked one of them flying. Without pausing to think about it, Hunter brought his suddenly-freed fist round at the other, dealing a vicious blow to the thing's stomach. The other kelzaks were now rather busy dealing with the new Rangers who had appeared to join in the fight.

"Hunter!"

He spun towards the familiar voice. Something small was flung at him and Hunter caught it on instinct, realising the moment he held it just what it was. His morpher.

He could worry about consequences later. Right now, he just had to stay alive. He shoved the thing around his wrist and shouted, "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" 


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

There were an awful lot of kelzaks. There was no doubt that Lothor had been expecting them as the Rangers fought their way through the corridors in the hunt for Hunter. They'd split up to cover the ground faster, and Dustin had ended up paired with Cam, while Tori had gone with Blake and Shane had set off alone. Dustin wondered if Shane had wanted both him and Blake to have a calming influence with them in case they went crazy trying to free Hunter.

Dustin admitted he was getting frustrated with finding nothing but kelzaks and would love to blast his way through walls just in case it would make the search go quicker.

It felt like they'd been fighting for hours. He was sure they hadn't but he still wished that he could have a watch in his Ranger suit, just to be sure. He was terrified of being too late. He was also terrified that Lothor would use their attack as an excuse not to wait for the two hour deadline. If they didn't find Hunter soon, Lothor probably would kill him.

Then Shane's voice came through the communicator, telling them that he'd found Hunter and they were heading for the exit.

"Thank god," Dustin murmured. He was able to quiet his frantic imagination, telling himself that they'd soon be safe and Hunter would be back where he should be.

"We've still go to get out of here," Cam said. He set off back the way they'd come, Dustin a step behind him. It was hard to keep sprinting ahead. He really wanted to see Hunter so badly and be sure he was safe.

They found a few kelzaks on the way and dealt with them quickly. They were nearly back at the Dragonforce Vehicle when they heard the unmistakeable sounds of battle nearby. Running towards the noise, Dustin saw Hunter struggling against what seemed like a hundred kelzaks. Two of the things had a hold of him and Hunter was trying to get free.

Dustin didn't even think. He just blasted the nearest of the kelzaks and Hunter managed to deal wit the other.

"Hunter!" As Hunter turned towards him, Dustin threw the morpher he still held. Hunter caught it and, a moment later, he was morphing.

Then Dustin was rather too busy with the rest of the kelzaks to be able to watch Hunter. Cam went to help Shane fight Zurgane, driving him back along the corridor. Dustin managed to dispose of a few more kelzaks.

"Head for the Dragonforce Vehicle," Shane called, "We'll be right behind you."

Dustin hesitated for a moment, thinking that he ought to help fight. But the corridors were pretty narrow for holding a battle in. If he tried attacking Zurgane as well, it would be difficult to avoid hitting Shane and Cam. Then Hunter had a hand on Dustin's arm.

"Come on," he said. Dustin started running. Shane knew what he was doing. He was just going to hold Zurgane off long enough for them to get to safety, along with Tori and Blake.

"Going somewhere?" Lothor stepped out of a doorway in front of them.

Dustin and Hunter were immediately in fighting stance, their weapons out. But Lothor just laughed.

"You Rangers are so predictable," he said.

"Like you're not," muttered Hunter.

"And since our predictability predictably beats your predictability," said Dustin, "I don't think it's a problem."

"But right now, I'm predicting the deaths of half your little group," said Lothor. He raised some sort of weapon, aimed directly at Hunter.

Dustin didn't think. He saw Lothor about to fire and stepped forwards, feeling the searing pain in his chest as the weapon's blast hit him.

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Everything seemed to slow down, but still Hunter couldn't react fast enough. Dustin stepped in front of him, taking the full force from Lothor's weapon. Hunter cried out as Dustin collapsed against him. The Yellow Ranger's morph vanished and Hunter saw Dustin's eyes, open and staring into Hunter's, but with no indication they actually saw. Tears blurred Hunter's eyes behind his visor as he caught Dustin's limp form, laying him gently on the ground.

He stared at Dustin. Unmoving. Silent.

A million thoughts ran through Hunter's mind. A million memories. A million regrets. A million words he'd never get a chance to say. Hunter saw Dustin's blank eyes and searched inside them for any sign that there was someone looking out.

He'd saved his life. Without thought or hesitation. Despite everything that had happened between them. Dustin had taken a blast for him and saved his life. Hunter stared at Dustin, unable to comprehend quite how this could be happening. He would have done anything for Dustin. He would have given anything to keep him safe. And yet he couldn't save Dustin from his own courage, his own stupid selflessness.

Hunter looked up at Lothor, who was hitting his weapon and muttering something rude about battery life. Hunter glared at him with murder in his eyes and in his heart. He grabbed his sword, wanting nothing more than to kill Lothor and find some way to bring him back so he could kill him all over again. He wanted Lothor to die. Preferably painfully. And he wanted to be the one to cause it.

Lothor must have sensed his rage and his intentions, because he didn't even try to fight. The fire of Hunter's fury wasn't something even Lothor wanted to match. Lothor raised a hand to shoot an energy blast at Hunter as he retreated back through the door, closing it behind him.

"Coward!" Hunter screamed. He hit the door several times with his sword, but it wasn't going to break or open.

"Come back here and die!" Hunter yelled, but there was no response. Lothor wasn't going to return. He hit the door once more, but his rage was rapidly drowning in his pain.

Hunter hurried back to Dustin. He knelt at Dustin's side and reached out a hand to touch his cheek, to brush a strand of hair from his forehead, to hope for some movement against his fingers that would prove him wrong. He powered down, hoping that he would be able to feel some warmth in Dustin's skin that he hadn't been able to detect through gloves.

"Don't do this, Dustin," Hunter whispered. "Don't leave me."

He'd never asked for anything of Dustin. He'd just wanted him to live, to live and be happy. He would have done anything for that, to see Dustin's smile light up his face like sunshine. He wanted to hear the silly, airhead things that Dustin would say. All he'd ever wanted was for Dustin to have joy in his life, all the joy that Hunter's life seemed to lack. And Dustin had given up everything for Hunter's worthless existence.

Hunter put his arms around Dustin, lifting him into an embrace but feeling no response. There was no movement of Dustin's chest as Hunter hugged him close. Just stillness.

"You can't do this, Dustin. I love you. Please, don't do this."

But Dustin couldn't reply.

Hunter just knelt there, hugging Dustin's body to him. He didn't try to move. He didn't care that there could be a dozen kelzaks around the corner. He just stayed there, and held on to all that Dustin had left. His arms wrapped around Dustin and his tears glittered in Dustin's hair.

"I love you." 


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Hunter carried Dustin's body back to the Dragonforce Vehicle. No one even tried to suggest that someone should help. No one had said anything really. They hadn't even asked Hunter how it had happened.

Tori and Blake had come to see what was taking them so long. Shane and Cam had found them on their return to the vehicle. And they all took in the sight of Hunter kneeling on the floor, hugging Dustin's motionless form. There were tears in everyone's eyes. None of them could quite believe this was real.

They entered the Vehicle and Cam started to pilot it back to Ninjops. There was no attack from Lothor's ship to try and stop them. Maybe Lothor thought he'd done enough damage.

Still no one said a word. Perhaps it seemed that acknowledging this would truly make it real and until they did, there was still a chance that this wasn't happening. Hunter clung to Dustin's body. The tears had stopped and now he was just staring at some point in the distance, seeing nothing beyond his own pain.

The journey seemed at the same time to take forever and to be over in no time at all. Then they were back in the zord bay. The group headed through to Ninjops. Sensei was waiting for them. As he saw Hunter enter carrying Dustin and the expressions on all of their faces, he stared, not quite comprehending.

"It cannot be."

"It is, Dad," said Cam, his voice choked with tears.

With nowhere else to really put him, Hunter laid Dustin down on the table. He stayed there for some time, folding Dustin's hands, brushing hair from his face and generally making him look peaceful. There was no pain in his features. He might almost have been sleeping, but for the pale coldness of his cheeks and the absolute stillness of his chest.

"What do we do now?" Tori asked between sobs. She was sitting against the wall, hugging her legs to her and staring the table that had become Dustin's funeral bed.

"We fight," Shane said, "We kill Lothor. We make damn sure he pays for this."

"What good would that do?" Hunter asked in a whisper.

No one answered. No could answer. Dustin was gone and no amount of revenge would bring him back.

They sat in silence for a while more. No one had any words to say that could ease their pain. They stayed, frozen in this moment of suffering. Eventually, they would have to get up. One of them would need food or need to go to the bathroom. They wouldn't be sitting here forever. But when that happened, it would be the signal for the change. It would end this point in time. They would begin to do those things which must be done.

But that would mean accepting it was really over. They weren't ready for that.

They weren't ready to even acknowledge that their lives could continue from this moment.

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Cam ran the past few hours over in his mind. He kept seeing all that he could have acted to make things go differently. If he'd stayed with Dustin instead of going to fight Zurgane. If they'd been quicker in driving off the general. Or if they'd just not been stupid enough to think they could challenge Lothor in his own ship. There were so many ways, so many possibilities, and Cam kept wondering if he should have done something better.

If he'd been stronger or faster or smarter, maybe Dustin would still be alive.

From the looks on the expressions of the others, they were all wondering much the same thing.

Cam looked round at all of them, seeing so much pain in their expressions that he couldn't bear it. Then he noticed that his dad wasn't in the room. He hadn't seen him leave, but a guinea pig wasn't exactly obvious. Cam was able to think past his own grief enough to realise how hard this must be for his dad. As the one who had given Dustin his powers and set him on this path, Sensei was probably feeling the heaviest burden of guilt as well as the grief of losing someone he was supposed to protect.

Cam stood and walked quietly from the room, almost glad of an excuse to leave that dismal gathering, to leave the shared pain that threatened to swallow all though of hope. He found his dad in a small store room that made a seldom-visited part of their base. Sensei was standing on a shelf, looking at a torn piece of parchment. Cam gave it a glance and saw that it showed a picture of three people.

"This shouldn't have been possible," Sensei said.

"It's not your fault, Dad."

"I thought they could fight any monster Lothor could send. I shouldn't have trusted so blindly that they would survive."

"It was Dustin's choice to go and his choice to fight. It always has been."

"But I was the one who let him risk his life."

Cam wished for the right words to make this all better. He wished for something he could say or do that would bring comfort to his father or to himself. But he might as well wish for a magic wand that could erase the past.

The reckless airhead, always so cheerful, laughing through life no matter the struggles, was gone. And it was like a light had failed inside of all of them. His happiness had reflected off them all, infectious in its joy. And now it was gone. Their lives were all a little darker. Their world a little bleaker.

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"Where am I?" A voice called out to a world that seemed drained of colour. There was no answer but the wind sighing sadly through leaves and distant sounds of grief. Around him, trees were grey shadows. In the distance, he saw faint traces of movement and heard low sobs of despair. There was no brightness here, no happiness. There was just the unending greyness beneath a bleak sky.

He walked between trees that seemed as lifeless of ghosts, hearing the howling of the wind like some great beast in pain. He felt a chill that seemed to fill him so completely that it seemed he would never be warm again. The cold went straight through him and into his soul, filling him with a desolate emptiness.

"Hello!" he called again. "Where am I?"

"The Mountain of Lost Ninjas. But you are not lost yet."

Dustin turned and saw an old man in robes, the only point of colour in the whole landscape. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Dustin stared at the old man. He was wearing grey robes, but he wasn't as monochrome as their surroundings. He leaned heavily on a staff, but Dustin found himself staring at the man's face, seeing something in the features that he couldn't quite recognise.

"Do I know you?" Dustin asked.

"That is a rather more complicated question than you might think. The simple answer would be no. You don't know me yet."

"For a simple answer that had, like, way too many words in it."

The old man gave a slight smile.

"So, what's going on?" Dustin asked, "I think I got shot."

"Yes, you were shot. The blast has separated your spirit from your body."

"So I'm, like, dead."

"Like dead, yes. But not quite dead."

There was only one sensible thing Dustin could say to that. "Huh?"

"Your body, devoid of its spirit, will take on the appearance of death. But it is possible for a spirit such as yours, which has been parted, to return to its rightful place. If you want to. But there has to be something worth returning for."

"Something like what? My friends? Of course I want to go back."

"Friendship is not enough. It will take a deeper bond to restore you to your body."

"What kind of a bond?" Dustin asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A ten-year-old boy opened the door of his house. He looked around sulkily.

"Dad?" he called, "Dad, you were supposed to pick me up from karate. Shane's mum had to drive me home. Dad?" There was no response from the silent house. The boy wandered from the hall, heading through to the kitchen.

He froze, taking in the sight of a motionless figure on the floor.

For a second he could do nothing but stare, his mind to ready to accept what lay before his eyes.

Then he ran across the tiles, crouching by his father's side.

"Dad. Dad, wake up."

He shook his dad's shoulders, but got no response. Tears were filling his eyes as he fought to get his father to wake and failed. He saw the stillness and saw the pill bottle on the floor beside him. He fumbled at his dad's neck for a pulse and not finding one.

Tears really flowing now, he grabbed the phone, dialling for an ambulance. He explained frantically what he'd found, listening to the calm voice at the other end telling him to perform CPR until the paramedics could arrive. She managed to keep the boy from panicking, explaining the steps to take.

The boy pressed down on his father's chest, trying to restart his heart. He could barely see from the salty moisture in his eyes, but still he kept pumping at his dad's chest.

"Dad, wake up," he sobbed, "Please, Dad. Don't leave me alone."

There was a movement beneath him. The man's eyes opened, a rasping breath flowing into his mouth.

"Dusty?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Older, but crying as much as the young boy had done, Dustin turned away from the vision. Back in the grey forest, the image of the past faded quickly, but Dustin still saw it all in his mind. He recalled so vividly what it had felt like to be that terrified boy, waiting for the sirens of the ambulance, watching his dad set out on the path his mum had already taken.

"That's not the way it happened," he said, "Dad didn't want to come back."

"Yes. I did."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"You can't be my dad," said Dustin. "You're, like, way old."

"Time is less of a hindrance to the dead than the living?"

"What the heck does that mean?"

"I have died. But before my spirit can move on to the next world, I must do penance for my sins. I have come through time to guide you and others to their rightful course."

"Penance? For what?" Dustin could think of quite a lot of things he thought his dad had done wrong, but nothing seemed to fit with this whole spiritual guide thing. But he had to admit, looking more closely at the old man in front of him, he did look a lot like his dad.

In answer to his question, the forest seemed to fade around Dustin, leaving an image of another wood, one blooming in early spring. A young woman in the uniform of the Wind Ninja Academy was running between the trees. Dustin stared at her, the tears returning to his eyes as he recognised her face.

"Mum?" he breathed, "That's not possible. Mum wasn't a ninja."

"Yes, she was. It was no coincidence that you found the ninja school; a ninja spirit flows through your blood."

Dustin watched the woman run. She was searching for something, looking all about her. She peered through the vegetation even as her feet pounded across the earth. Then she saw what she was looking for. A man was kneeling on the ground, scratching something into the earth. Dustin saw the symbols glowing and new them to be marks of the dark magic, similar to the ones Hunter had been using. He also recognised the face of the man who knelt there, dealing in powers he shouldn't.

"So it's true," said Dustin's mum. His dad looked up sharply from his work, jumping in surprise at the sudden interruption.

"I've not done anything dangerous," his dad said, standing. Beside him, the symbols continued to glow in the earth. Dustin looked at his dad, young and dressed in a yellow-trimmed ninja uniform. Dustin wondered if this was all just a dream. There was no way he could have missed the fact his parents were ninjas, no matter how much of an airhead everyone thought him. Surely Sensei would have said something to him. Surely Dad would.

"You're using the dark powers, Nigel," Dustin's mum said, "That's forbidden."

"What's wrong with using a spell to increase my strength if I use that strength to help people."

"The dark powers change people. You're changing. You might not see it, but I do, and Dustin does. You get angry over the slightest little thing; you never used to." She rolled up her sleeve, revealing bruises on her forearm spaced about the distance of grasping fingers. "You would never have hurt me."

He stared at the bruises. "Oh Chrissie."

"This is what your new strength has done. This is what the dark powers have done."

"I can control it."

"You can't control yourself anymore. You scared your own son so badly that he shut himself in his room hiding under his bed!"

Dustin remembered. His dad had suddenly started getting angry over nothing. Then Dustin had said the wrong thing at dinner time and his dad had flung a plate at his face. He remembered his dad grabbing hold of the carving knife and Dustin had thought, from the anger in his father's face, that he was about to be murdered over an ill-thought phrase.

"You've got to stop this now," Dustin's mum went on, "if not for my sake then for Dustin's. He needs his father. He doesn't need this monster you're becoming."

"I can handle it, Chrissie. I know what I'm doing."

"You can't handle it. No one can. That's why these powers are so dangerous."

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" With a sudden burst of rage, he hit her, a back-hand slap across the face. But the strength behind it was inhuman. She was lifted from the ground, flying through the air until her head slammed into a tree trunk. But the momentum meant her body was still moving, her neck breaking with a sickening crack.

Dustin turned away. He couldn't bear to look. Tears were gushing from his eyes as he heard his father frantically checking for a pulse, begging for forgiveness, begging for her not to die.

There hadn't been a car crash. His dad had lied to him. He knew his dad always felt to blame for his mum's death, but now he knew why. It was because he'd murdered her.

The scene vanished, leaving Dustin sobbing in the grey forest, his cries joining those of the lost souls inhabiting this place.

"What I did," said the old man, his father, "can never be made right. But I have been given an opportunity to prevent others from making the same mistakes as me."

"You're the one who saved Hunter?"

"Yes. I now I want to save you."

Dustin shook his. "Lothor shot me. I'm dead."

"Not necessarily. Not if you have something worth going back to."

The forest faded again, this time replaced by the Ninjops. Dustin saw his own body lying on the table. He stared down at himself and shuddered. He didn't think there could be any sensation more creepy than the realisation he was seeing his own corpse. Someone had draped a sheet over him, but someone else had pulled it down so his white face was visible.

Kneeling beside the table was Hunter. He wasn't moving, just staring at Dustin's body. He looked almost as lifeless as Dustin did. A figure appeared in the doorway and Shane walked across to Hunter.

"Come on, you need to get some food."

Hunter shook his head mutely.

"Hunter, you need food, you need sleep and you definitely need to get out of this place." Hunter still said nothing. "Dustin wouldn't want you wasting away like this."

"How the hell can we know what Dustin would have wanted? He's gone. And it's all my fault."

"No it's not."

"He stepped in front of a blast that was meant for me. Lothor was trying to kill me."

"Then blame Lothor. Don't blame yourself." Hunter went back to staring at Dustin's body.

"Look," said Shane, "you are going to come with me and get some food. I can get Cam and Blake to help me drag you, but you are going to leave this room. I mean it. Dustin gave his life to save you, he wouldn't want you killing yourself over it like this."

When Hunter still didn't respond, Shane stepped up to him, grabbed hold of Hunter's arm and pulled. Hunter must have realised Shane was serious about taking him by force, because he managed to stagger to his feet. He wavered slightly when he managed to get upright. Presumably dizziness caused by exhaustion and hunger.

Dustin watched Hunter led out by Shane. He was almost glad to see him go, because it meant he wouldn't have to look at Hunter's face and see that empty hopelessness. It was as though Hunter had stopped caring about anything. He sat and stared at Dustin's body because there was nothing for him to live for. Dustin thought of Shane's words. He'd described Hunter as killing himself. Not with pills or a knife, but by simply not being, not caring enough to eat or sleep.

Dustin couldn't let that happen. Not if there was some way to prevent it. He had to find some way to reunite his spirit and body. He couldn't stand the thought of Hunter going through his life as that empty shell he'd just seen. He couldn't let Hunter beat himself up with grief and guilt like this. For Hunter's sake, he had to get back.

He loved him.

Dustin saw the body on the table open its eyes. Then all he saw was the ceiling of the Ninjops.

He drew in a shaking breath, his lungs struggling at the sudden demand for air. He tried to move his stiff limbs, muscles protesting violently after so long motionless.

His ears picked up the noise of a very expensive-sounding crash as Cam walked into the room and saw what was happening. 


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

Cam seemed, for the first time in his life, to be lost for words.

"Wha... How... Huh..." was all he managed. Dustin tried to say something helpful or comforting or indeed anything. But his mouth was completely dry and his muscles were still struggling with the concept of moving again. The sound that ended up coming out of his mouth was a moan like something out of a low-budget horror movie.

Dustin decided that lurching towards Cam going, "mmm, brains," was probably not going to be seen as funny by anyone else.

Cam had managed to recover his voice, it seemed. He yelled loudly for his dad then went to the computer, bringing up the communicators.

"Go for, Shane," came the reply.

"Get back to Ninjops, right now!" Cam said frantically.

"What's wrong?"

"Just get here!"

A moment later, Cam had given the same message to Blake and Tori and he was turning round to stare at Dustin again. By this point, Dustin had managed to fight into a vaguely sitting position. His attempt to swing his legs over the edge of the table just resulted in his uncooperative limbs getting tangled up in the sheet that still covered him.

"Some help here," Dustin said. This time the words actually came out as they were supposed to, though they still sounded somewhat croaky. Cam walked over to him slowly and then began to pull the sheet from Dustin. Dustin wondered if Cam's thoughts were on brain-eating zombies as well.

"You," Cam said, "You were dead."

"I know." Dustin experimented with flexing his fingers and wiggling his toes. This whole movement things was definitely getting easier, though it seemed his body was having as hard a time dealing with him being alive again as Cam was.

There were running feet outside and Shane burst into the room, Hunter a little way behind him. Both stopped and stared at Dustin.

"Um, hi," Dustin broke the silence. Neither Shane nor Hunter could answer. Presumably they were still too shocked. One voice did speak. It seemed Sensei had come in from somewhere else in Ninjops.

"Dustin? How did this happen?"

Dustin thought about it. He thought about seeing the old man who'd claimed to be Dustin's father. He thought about the visions he'd seen of the past. He thought of the realisation that he couldn't bear to leave Hunter alone with such grief. It all seemed slightly surreal now he thought about it from the safety of Ninjops.

"Sensei, were my parents ninjas?" he asked. His voice sounded almost normal now.

"What's that got to do with you coming back from the dead?" asked Shane.

"I saw a lot of weird stuff when I was dead," said Dustin, "and I need to know if it was a real or some kind of dream."

"Your mother was a great ninja," Sensei said, "and so, originally, was your father. However, he was expelled from the order."

"For using the dark ninja powers," Dustin finished. Sensei nodded. "I think I saw his ghost from the future. He showed me how to bring my spirit back to my body."

Dustin tried standing. He managed it on the third attempt, when Cam held his shoulders and helped lift him to his feet.

"Coming back from the dead is tough," he said. That got a chuckle. Right now they were all so confused that they would have laughed at anything. Except maybe zombie jokes.

Dustin walked with slightly faltering steps over to where Hunter stood, still silent. The shocked expression had faded somewhat, but there was no trace of the joy that Dustin had expected to see. Hunter was just staring. Dustin wasn't quite sure what to say. He felt like he ought to be apologising, but he wasn't sure what for. This wasn't a situation he'd ever thought he'd need to plan for.

"Hi," he said.

Hunter turned and fled. Dustin stared after him.

"That wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping for."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was no room inside Hunter's head for everything he was thinking and feeling. His emotions were spinning around so fast he couldn't be sure what he felt. He couldn't be sure this was real. He couldn't be sure of anything.

He stumbled from Ninjops and ended up collapsing on the ground beside the pool.

Dustin was alive.

Somehow. Miraculously.

This was what Hunter had imagined since the moment Dustin had stepped in front of him. He'd pictured a million different ways that Dustin might open his eyes and tell them that it had all be a mistake. He'd imagined waking up in his bed and discovering that none of this was happening. Heck, he'd even imagined long-lost twins and practical jokes as a way of having Dustin return.

But he'd not really believed it possible.

He should be happy. But there was so much else rushing through his mind that there wasn't enough room left for the happiness.

Was Dustin angry with him? Did he hate him for being the cause of his death? Or would he forgive Hunter this, like he'd already forgiven so much?

Hunter wasn't quite sure which would be worse.

What happened now? Did they just pretend none of this had happened? Hunter wasn't sure he could do that. He'd seen Dustin die and it had nearly killed him too. And now Hunter had the rest of his life in front of him and he knew for a fact that Dustin didn't love him, could never love him.

He hated himself for the treacherous thought that said maybe it would be better if Dustin really was dead. That way, he wouldn't have to face a future so close to him, yet unable to have him.

A pair of streaks appeared through the trees, materialising as Tori and Blake.

"What's going on?" Tori asked.

"Dustin's alive," Hunter said.

"What?!" Tori was racing across the pool and through the waterfall.

"Then why are you crying?" Blake asked.

Hunter shook his head, "I don't know." He hadn't even noticed he was crying, but, sure enough, there were heavy tears gushing down his cheeks. Hunter just sat in the dirt and sobbed like a baby, even though he should have been delighted at what he'd just seen.

Blake patted his shoulder and then hurried inside. He probably wanted to check that Hunter wasn't delusional. Hunter wasn't even sure himself. He didn't want to even think of the possibility that he'd just imagined all that and Dustin was still lying on the table beneath a sheet.

After a minute or so, a figure emerged from behind the waterfall and walked over to Hunter. He crouched down in front of Hunter and Dustin gave him a smile.

"Hi," Dustin said again.

"I'm sorry," Hunter began, "I just..." But he wasn't sure what he just. Given maybe a year of meditation, he might be able to sort out the mess that was currently in his head.

"I had to come back," Dustin said, "and I was able to come back, for one reason only. I love you."

And Hunter had thought he couldn't get any more confused. He couldn't form a reply. He couldn't even form a rational thought. He just at there, utterly bewildered, as Dustin leaned forward to kiss him. 


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

Dustin was willing to bet that not many people had ever had a coming-back-from-the-dead party thrown in their honour. The guys had hung streamers up around the Ninjops and someone, probably Cyber Cam and not the real one, had hooked up a good set of speakers to the supercomputer. He was also fairly certain that someone had slipped Sensei some booze. Watching a guinea pig dance was somewhat disturbing, but also quite entertaining.

He tried to be cheerful and join in the celebrations at his miraculous return, but all he kept thinking about was the fact that Hunter wasn't here. Hunter had run off after their kiss and now not even Blake knew where he was.

And it wasn't like the kiss had just come out of nowhere. Hunter was the one who'd declared love first. Dustin hadn't run away and hidden when Hunter had kissed him, and he'd been completely whacked at the time.

Dustin tried to smile at the sight of Tori struggling to get Cam out onto the dance floor.

He'd returned from the dead to be with Hunter! He'd thought Hunter would want this. Hunter had gone through a month of finding himself and then all that brooding. Dustin had expected him to be happy at the thought that Dustin wanted to be with him. After all, that was why he'd started fighting off the dark powers in the first place. So what was wrong with him?

"Chips?" Blake arrived next to Dustin, offering a bowl. Dustin grabbed some. "Look, I'm sure Hunter is just trying to wrap his head around things. It's not every day someone dies for you and then comes back to life. He'll be back when he's done brooding."

"And when will that be?"

"With Hunter, it's impossible to tell. He can make a good brood last for days." Blake gave a grin, "I'm joking. He'll be back soon."

"Yeah. And how soon is soon?" Dustin shoved some more chips into his mouth. He wondered how many of these things he'd have to eat before the fat and salt put him out of his misery for good.

"I think soon might be as soon as right now," Blake said.

Dustin turned. Hunter was standing in the entrance to Ninjops. Despite the loud music still blaring out of the speakers, the room suddenly seemed amazingly quiet. A moment later, everyone was resolutely busy doing anything that didn't involve noticing the two of them. Hunter didn't move. He just stayed standing in the doorway, watching Dustin.

Dustin walked across the room.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry for running off like that," Hunter said, "I just needed to think for a bit."

"And?"

"Um. Can we go outside?"

Dustin agreed. Everyone was so busy completely ignoring them that it was hard to have a comfortable conversation. He expected this was going to be tough enough as it was.

"I panicked yesterday," said Hunter, once they were outside under the trees, "I wasn't sure how to deal with... all this."

"With me being alive or me being in love with you?" There was no point being anything other brutally honest after all that had happened between them.

"Yes." Hunter was looking about as awkward as it was physically possible to get. "Look, Dustin, are you sure you want this? I mean, after everything I've done... I don't want you to be with me because of guilt or because or feel you should or because..."

Dustin cut him off by kissing him.

"What part of 'I love you' don't you understand?"

"Um... the part where someone like you actually wants to be with someone like me."

"Hunter, you are a great guy. You risked banishment or worse for my sake when you saved me from Dagrimar. I love you."

"Really?"

Dustin was beginning to see a pattern in this conversation.

"I love you Hunter. I want to be with you. I wanted to be with you so much that I wasn't going to let death keep me away. If you want to be with me too, you shouldn't let guilt keep us apart."

Hunter smiled. "You know, that was probably the least air-head thing you've ever said."

"Um... thanks, I guess."

"I mean it as a compliment. At first glance, you seem goofy and odd, but there's a side to you that you don't let people see very often. You're sweet and kind and apparently you have the ability to be insightful."

Dustin smiled. This time it was Hunter who initiated the kiss.

"At least we don't have to worry about how the guys will react," Dustin said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"For the last time," said Cam, standing between the computer and the other ninjas, "we are not using the satellite surveillance system to spy on Hunter and Dustin!"

"Aw, come on, Cam," said Tori.

Cam folded his arm and glared at them. "No."

**  
The End.  
(Well, almost)**


	32. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Cam was rather worried when he walked into Ninjops to find Tori seated at the computer with Cyber Cam, a bowl of popcorn between them.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, rushing over to check what they might be using his equipment for.

"Dude," said Cyber Cam, "we were totally testing out the new features for the surveillance system."

"The heat-sensitive view is really quite cool," said Tori. Sure enough, the computer screen showed the images of people, identifiable by the heat they were giving off even though there were walls and ceilings between them and the satellite.

"That ones Shane," said Tori, pointing at one of the figures.

"This is completely invasion of priva..." His words trailed off as he realised what was happening on the screen. Cyber Cam offered him the popcorn bowl and he took a handful. "I never realised Shane was so flexible."

"Me neither," agreed Tori, taking some more popcorn.

"Do you think we ought to get the others here?"

"Blake's working and I think Hunter and Dustin have got better things to do."

"Besides, we're recording the data feed," Cyber Cam added, "We can watch the S-Man move all we want."

"You do realise he's going to kill you for this?"

"Yeah, but it's his own fault for trying to hide it from us."

Cam watched a few minutes more.

"Do you know which one they're doing?" he asked.

"Giselle," Tori answered, "I've already called the ballet company to get us all tickets."  



	33. Announcement

A new science fiction thriller is coming out this month.

Child of the Hive


End file.
